Symphyotrichum depauperatum
| Symphyotrichum depauperatum | |
|---|---|
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| S. depauperatum from the serpentine grassland demonstration area in Nottingham County Park. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Symphyotrichum |
| Species: | S. depauperatum
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| Binomial name | |
| Symphyotrichum depauperatum | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
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Symphyotrichum depauperatum, also known as the serpentine aster,[4] is a rare species of aster adapted to serpentine barrens, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil.[5]
Symphyotrichum depauperatum is a perennial herb up to 50 cm (20 inches) tall, with 1-3 stems. Leaves are narrow, generally 2–4 cm (0.8-1.6 inches) long. The plant produces numerous flower heads in branched arrays, each head with 7–14 white or pink ray flowers surrounding 7–17 yellow disc flowers.[5]
Distribution
Symphyotrichum depauperatum grows in 20 of the 26 serpentine barrens in the east-central United States (Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina),[6] and has been called a "flagship" species of this unique ecosystem. It was previously thought to be endemic to these barrens, but it was recently confirmed to also occur in a disjoint population on diabase glades in North Carolina.[7]
Conservation
Symphyotrichum depauperatum is classified by the state of Pennsylvania as a threatened species because its range is restricted to a few limited areas, and the majority of its populations occur on sites threatened by quarrying, housing and industrial development.[8]
References
- ^ "Symphyotrichum depauperatum", NatureServe Explorer, NatureServe, retrieved 2009-11-12
- ^ "Symphyotrichum depauperatum (Fernald) G.L.Nesom", The Global Compositae Checklist (GCC) – via The Plant List Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
- ^ "Aster depauperatus Fernald", Tropicos, Missouri Botanical Garden
- ^ NRCS, "Symphyotrichum depauperatum", PLANTS Database, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), retrieved 6 December 2015
- ^ a b Brouillet, Luc; Semple, John C.; Allen, Geraldine A.; Chambers, Kenton L.; Sundberg, Scott D. (2006), "Symphyotrichum depauperatum", in Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.), Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA), vol. 20, New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA
- ^ "Symphyotrichum depauperatum", County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA), Biota of North America Program (BONAP), 2014
- ^ Gustafson, Danny J.; Latham, Roger Earl (Jun 2005), "Is the serpentine aster, Symphyotrichum depauperatum (Fern.) Nesom, a valid species and actually endemic to eastern serpentine barrens?", Biodiversity and Conservation, 14 (6)
- ^ "Serpentine Aster profile", Pennsylvania Department of Conservation, Natural Resources Wildlife Resource Conservation Fund, archived from the original on 2011-06-10, retrieved Sep 19, 2009
External links
Media related to Symphyotrichum depauperatum at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Symphyotrichum depauperatum at Wikispecies
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