''Symphyotrichum frondosum'' (formerly ''Aster frondosus'') is a
species of
flowering plant in the
family Asteraceae native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
to western North America. Commonly known as short-rayed alkali aster, it is an
annual or
perennial herbaceous plant that may reach tall.
Description
''Symphyotrichum frondosum'' is an
annual or occasionally
perennial herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
,
flowering plant growing a leaning or erect stem to a maximum height of . The leaves are a few centimeters long and oval in shape with rounded tips. The stem and leaves are mostly hairless.
The
inflorescence is a small array of
flower heads
A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...
containing many short pale pink or lavender
ray florets and yellow
disc florets. The fruit is a hairy
cypsela with white to yellow-tinted
pappi
In Asteraceae, the pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual floret, that surrounds the base of the corolla tube in flower. It functions as a wind-dispersal mechanism for the seeds. The term is sometimes used for similar s ...
.
File:Symphyotrichum frondosum 4692034.jpg, ''Symphyotrichum frondosum''
File:Symphyotrichum frondosum 4692028.jpg, ''Symphyotrichum frondosum''
File:Symphyotrichum frondosum 4692025.jpg, ''Symphyotrichum frondosum''
Distribution and habitat
It is native to North America in the west from
British Columbia, south to
Baja California (
Mexico), east to
New Mexico, and north to
Wyoming and
Idaho. ''Symphyotrichum frondosum'' grows in wet habitats such as marshes and meadows, especially in
alkali
In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a ...
ne or
saline
Saline may refer to:
* Saline (medicine), a liquid with salt content to match the human body
* Saline water, non-medicinal salt water
* Saline, a historical term (especially US) for a salt works or saltern
Places
* Saline, Calvados, a commune in ...
conditions.
Citations
References
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q7661729, from2=Q50827543, from3=Q38782372
frondosum
Halophytes
Flora of the Western United States
Flora of the Southwestern United States
Flora of British Columbia
Flora of Colorado
Flora of Idaho
Flora of New Mexico
Flora of Oregon
Flora of Washington (state)
Flora of Wyoming
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Flora of the Rocky Mountains
Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
Plants described in 1840
Taxa named by Thomas Nuttall