Gulf of Mexico

Symphyotrichum tenuifolium (L.) G.L. Nesom:
United States (North America)
Caribbean (Caribbean)

Aster tenuifolius var. aphyllus R.W. Long:
United States (North America)

Aster tenuifolius L.:
United States (North America)

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: FL Keys and West Indies (Small, 1933) or FL, Bahamas, and Cuba (Britton & Millspaugh, 1920).

Along the Gulf of Mexico Coast in central and northern peninsular Florida, vars. tenuifolium and aphyllum intergrade in nearly all characters (S. D. Sundberg 2004). G. L. Nesom (2005d) treated the varieties as species.

Perennials, (20–)40–60(–100) cm, colonial or cespitose; rhizoma-tous. Stems 1–5+, ascending to erect (often with purple or purplish brown areas, flexuous, wiry), little-branched, usually glabrous, sometimes hairy in lines distally. Leaves thick (fleshy), margins entire, faces glabrous; basal withering by flowering (new winter rosettes appearing at flowering), petiolate (petioles sheathing), blades ovate or oblanceolate, 15–20 × 5–15 mm, bases cuneate, apices rounded; proximal cauline withering by flowering, usually sessile, blades lanceolate, linear-lanceolate or -oblanceolate, to linear, 7–80(–150) × 1–6 (–12) mm, bases attenuate, margins entire, apices acuminate to acute; distal sessile, blades narrowly lanceolate to subulate, 10–110 × 0.5–5 mm, apices acuminate. Heads (1–)3–20(–40), in open, diffuse, paniculiform arrays, branches patent. Peduncles 0.6–4 (–6) cm, bracts 2–8, awl-shaped, grading into phyllaries. Involucres narrowly turbinate, 4.1–9.5(–11) mm. Phyllaries in 4–5 series, lanceolate to subulate, bases indurate, rounded, margins hyaline, often tinged with purple, entire, green zones spatulate to oblanceolate-rhombic, apices acute, adaxial faces glabrous or minutely hairy distally. Ray florets 10–25; corollas white or pink, laminae (4.5–)5–8.5(–9.5) × 1.2–2 mm. Disc florets 25–45(–54); corollas yellow becoming purplish, 3.4–6(–6.8) mm, tubes shorter than to equaling the narrowly funnelform throats (sparsely hairy at base), lobes ± erect, narrowly triangular, 0.5–0.8 mm. Cypselae light brown, narrowly obovoid to fusiform, sometimes ± compressed, 1.5–4(–4.5) mm, 5–6-nerved, faces sparsely strigillose; pappi tawny to white, 3–6.1 mm.

Aster tenuifolius Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 873. 1753

Depth range based on 4 specimens in 1 taxon.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 1 - 1
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Comments: Low hammocks (Small, 1933), brackish marshes and savannas (Britton & Millspaugh. 1920. The Bahama Flora. Publ. s.n., New York).

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N3 - Vulnerable

Rounded Global Status Rank: G3 - Vulnerable

Reasons: Limited habitats and distribution; species of Florida and a few Caribbean islands.

Comments: Kartesz 1999 does not recognize any varieties of Symphyotrichum tenifolium, while Sundberg (2004) does (S. tenuiofolium var. aphyllum). Kartesz 1999 treats variety aphyllum as S. bracei.

Comments: Kartesz 1999 calls this taxon Symphyotrichum bracei while Sundberg (2004) places this entity in S. tenuifolium calling it variety aphyllum.