OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum   FAMILY Asteraceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)

Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)

Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-020:

Aster puniceus   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)

Aster puniceus var. puniceus

(?) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Aster conduplicatus

INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Aster puniceus

 

COMMON NAME:
Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_aspu5_001_lvd

        

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm130114_152

January    Cherokee County    NC

Murphy River Walk

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm130225_356

February    Cherokee County    NC

Murphy River Walk

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm160502_054

May    Jackson County    SC

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm130927_544

September    Jackson County    NC

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm130927_553

September    Jackson County    NC

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm140913_702

September    Jackson County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm140913_705

September    Jackson County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Stems densely pubescent, usually purplish, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm150912_114

September    Clay County    NC

Nantahala National Forest: Tusquitee Ranger District

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm190914_1580b

September    Swain County    NC

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

Gill Newberry    gn10_a_puniceus_habitat

October        

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm121024_692

October    Cherokee County    NC

Murphy River Walk

Leaves lanceolate, auriculate-clasping, usually toothed, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm121024_693

October    Cherokee County    NC

Murphy River Walk

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm231001_5734

October    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm231001_5735

October    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm231001_5760

October    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

Involucres hemispheric to campanulate; bracts green, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm231001_5760b

October    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm231012_5998

October    Greenville County    SC

Numerous light blue or lavender rays; disk flowers pale yellow or red, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm231012_6001

October    Greenville County    SC

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm231012_6004

October    Greenville County    SC

Phyllaries in 4-6 series, green zones linear-lanceolate, per Flora of North America.


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE involucral bracts of North American asters

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm231012_6008

October    Greenville County    SC

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm111106_240

November    Jackson County    NC

A tall handsome plant thriving in moist habitats, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum, Purplestem Aster, Swamp Aster

JK Marlow    jkm111106_263

November    Jackson County    NC

Stems purplish, with spreading hairs, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-020:
Aster puniceus   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Aster puniceus var. puniceus

(?) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Aster conduplicatus

INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Aster puniceus

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

166

Forb
Perennial

Habitat: bogs, seeps, ditches, wet meadows, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common (rare in Coastal Plain, rare in GA Piedmont)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate (basal leaves absent or withered at flowering)

FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Rays: Blue-violet
Disc: Yellow or cream becoming reddish-purple
Inferior ovary
Disc flowers bisexual & fertile/ Ray flowers pistillate & fertile

Flower heads in loose leafy panicles

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Brown
Achene

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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