Biology:Symphyotrichum oolentangiense

Short description: Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to eastern and central North America

Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
Inflorescence, Ontario, Canada
Conservation status
Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Tribe:	Astereae
Subtribe:	Symphyotrichinae
Genus:	Symphyotrichum
Subgenus:	Symphyotrichum subg. Symphyotrichum
Section:	Symphyotrichum sect. Symphyotrichum
Species:	S. oolentangiense
Binomial name
Symphyotrichum oolentangiense (Riddell) G.L.Nesom
Native distribution
Synonyms
Basionym Aster oolentangiensis Riddell Alphabetical list Aster azureus Lindl. Farw. (E.S.Burgess ex Small) Fernald (Farw.) A.G.Jones Aster oolentangiensis var. laevicaulis Aster azureus var. scabrior (Fernald) A.G.Jones Aster azureus f. laevicaulis Engelm. ex Small (E.S.Burgess) A.G.Jones Aster poaceus Aster capillaceus E.S.Burgess Aster azureus f. incarnatus Fernald E.S.Burgess Engelm. ex E.S.Burgess Aster oolentangiensis var. poaceus Symphyotrichum oolentangiense var. laevicaule Aster capillaris (Fernald) Mohlenbr. Symphyotrichum oolentangiense var. poaceum Aster azureus var. poaceus E.S.Burgess (E.S.Burgess) G.L.Nesom Aster vernalis Aster oolentangiensis f. incarnatus

Symphyotrichum oolentangiense (formerly Aster oolentangiensis and Aster azureus), commonly known as skyblue aster and azure aster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to eastern North America.

Description

The plants are 20 to 150 centimeters (³⁄₄ to 5 feet) tall with one to several herbaceous stems. The alternate and simple leaves have a rough texture. The composite flowers, produced between August and October, have blue to violet rays.

Leaf, Ontario, Canada

Large inflorescence showing many involucres

Taxonomy

American botanist John Leonard Riddell originally described this species in a publication dated to April 1835 as Aster oolentangiensis after finding it in forests on the Olentangy River near Worthington, Ohio. Riddell originally misspelled the name of the river with two Os. The synonym Aster azureus has also been used, but this was not published until November 1835, so Riddell's epithet has priority.

Along with many other species, Symphyotrichum oolentangiense was formerly included in the genus Aster. However, this broad circumscription of Aster is polyphyletic, and the North American asters are now classified in Symphyotrichum and several other genera.

Distribution and habitat

Symphyotrichum oolentangiense is found in prairies, open woodlands, savannahs and other open habitats. It occurs widely in the Midwestern United States and in eastern prairies, from Texas to Minnesota. It also extends into Mexico in Coahuila and to Ontario in Canada . The species is endangered in New York.

Ecology

The flowers attract a wide variety of insect species, including bees, bee flies, butterflies, beetles, and others. A wide variety of herbivorous insects also consume the vegetation. The seeds are dispersed by wind. The species is typical of higher quality natural areas, especially those with disturbances such as wildfire.

References

• Flora of North America Editorial Committee, ed. (2006), "Symphyotrichum oolentangiense" (in en), Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA), 20, New York and Oxford, http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250067666, retrieved 22 January 2020 
• Template:Cite Illinois Wildflowers
• "Aster azureus Lindl." (in en). International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://www.ipni.org/n/180733-1. 
• "Aster oolentangiensis Riddell" (in en). International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://www.ipni.org/n/181895-1. 
• "Symphyotrichum oolentangiense Sky Blue Aster" (in en). Arlington, Virginia. 2 July 2021. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.129933/Symphyotrichum_oolentangiense. 
• "Symphyotrichum oolentangiense (Riddell) G.L.Nesom" (in en). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2019. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:981870-1. 
• "Synopsis of the flora of the western states" (in en). Western Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences 8: 490–556. 1835. 
• "An overview of "asters" and the Tribe Astereae" (in en). Ontario. 27 April 2021. https://uwaterloo.ca/astereae-lab/research/asters. 
• Stafleu, F.A.; Cowan, R.S. (1979), "3005. Companion to the Botanical Magazine" (in en), Taxonomic Literature: A selective guide to botanical publications and collections with dates, commentaries and types (H–Le), II, Utrecht: Bohn, Scheltema & Holkema, pp. 293–294, https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/tl-2/browse.cfm?vol=2#page/319, retrieved 22 January 2020 
• "Symphyotrichum oolentangiense" (in en). Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. 2014. https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SYOO. 
• Young, S.M.; Spencer, E.; Ring, R.M. (2 April 2013). "Online Conservation Guide for Sky-blue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense)" (in en). New York Natural Heritage Program. http://acris.nynhp.org/guide.php?id=36186. 

Wikidata ☰ {{{from}}} entry