Eurybia merita

Last updated

Subalpine aster
Eurybia merita.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Eurybia
Species:
E. merita
Binomial name
Eurybia merita
(A.Nels.) G.L.Nesom
Synonyms [2]
  • Aster meritusA.Nels.
  • Aster montanus var. arcticusTorr. & A.Gray
  • Aster richardsonii var. meritus(A.Nelson) Raup
  • Aster sibiricus var. meritus(A.Nelson) Raup

Eurybia merita, commonly known as the subalpine aster or arctic aster (not to be confused with Eurybia sibirica , which shares the latter common name), is an herbaceous perennial native to northwestern North America, primarily from the Interior Mountains and Plateau system and Rocky Mountains in Canada, stretching south to Utah and extreme northern California. It is found largely in drier, open areas, generally at subalpine levels in mountains, though in more northern areas it is more common at lower elevations. It is similar in appearance to Eurybia sibirica, but their ranges only overlap near the border between the US and Canada, where E. sibirica is generally found at higher elevations than its relative. The flowers emerge in the late summer and display purple to violet ray florets and pale or creamy yellow disc florets.

Distribution and habitat

Eurybia merita is present in much of northwestern North America. There are also a few isolated populations in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The primary distribution is from Alberta and British Columbia in Canada, south as far as northern Utah and to Siskiyou County, California. [3] [4] It is found at heights ranging from 100 up to 3200 metres (330–10670 feet) in soils that range from mesic to dry. Open woods, rocky areas, clearings and recently burnt areas constitute its primary habitat. It may also be found along sandy, rocky or gravely creek banks. Within these habitats, it is most commonly associated with subalpine meadows and Douglas fir, lodgepole pine or spruce forests. While it is generally restricted to subalpine elevations in mountains, it is found at lower elevations in the north of its range. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eurybia macrophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Eurybia macrophylla, commonly known as the bigleaf aster, large-leaved aster, largeleaf aster or bigleaf wood aster, is an herbaceous perennial in the family Asteraceae that was formerly treated in the genus Aster. It is native to eastern North America, with a range extending from eastern and central Canada through the northeastern deciduous and mixed forests of New England and the Great Lakes region and south along the Appalachians as far as the northeastern corner of Georgia, and west as far as Minnesota, Missouri and Arkansas. The flowers appear in the late summer to early fall and show ray florets that are usually either a deep lavender or violet, but sometimes white, and disc florets that are cream-coloured or light yellow, becoming purple as they mature. It is one of the parent species of the hybrid Eurybia × herveyi.

<i>Eurybia divaricata</i> North American species of flowering plant

Eurybia divaricata, the white wood aster, is an herbaceous plant native to eastern North America. It occurs in the eastern United States, primarily in the Appalachian Mountains, though it is also present in southeastern Canada, but only in about 25 populations in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. In the U.S. it is abundant and common, but in Canada it is considered threatened due to its restricted distribution. It has been introduced to a number of countries in Europe. It can be found in dry open woods as well as along wood-edges and clearings. The species is distinguished by its flower heads that have yellow centers and white rays that are arranged in flat-topped corymbiform arrays, emerging in the late summer through fall. Other distinguishing characteristics include its serpentine stems and sharply serrated narrow heart-shaped leaves. The white wood aster is sometimes used in cultivation in both North America and Europe due to it being quite tough and for its showy flowers.

<i>Eurybia</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae

Eurybia is a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae that were previously included in the genus Aster. Most species are native to North America, although one is also present in northern Eurasia. There are 23 species in the genus, including 1 natural hybrid. The name was first applied by Alexandre de Cassini in 1820. The name is derived from Ancient Greek εὐρύς (eurús), meaning "wide", and βαιός (baiós), meaning "few", perhaps in reference to the small number of relatively wide ray florets.

<i>Eurybia schreberi</i> Species of flowering plant

Eurybia schreberi, commonly called Schreber's aster or nettle-leaved Michaelmas-daisy, is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern North America, where it is present in Canada and the United States. The flower heads emerge in the late summer or early fall to show white ray florets and yellow disc florets. It is listed as endangered in Indiana and Iowa, of special concern in Tennessee and possibly extirpated in Maine.

Eurybia avita, commonly called Alexander's rock aster, is a rare North American plant species, a herbaceous perennial in the family Asteraceae that was formerly considered part of the genus Aster. It is native to the southeastern United States. It is of conservation concern as it is found in less than 50 sites, typically only in sandy soils near granite flatrocks, and it is most likely already extirpated in North Carolina. Its habitat is threatened by development and the recreational use of the area where it grows. It is very similar to both E. surculosa and E. paludosa and more research needs to be done to determine the exact relationship between the three species.

<i>Eurybia surculosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Eurybia surculosa, commonly known as the creeping aster, is an herbaceous perennial in the family Asteraceae that was previously treated in the genus Aster. It is native to the eastern United States where it is found in sandy soils along the coastal plain, though when E. compacta is also present, it exists farther inland in the southern Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau. Although the species is not seriously threatened, it is locally endangered in Virginia and Alabama. The flowers, which have bluish violet ray florets and pale yellow disc florets that eventually turn purplish, emerge in summer and persist into the fall.

<i>Eurybia spectabilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Eurybia spectabilis, commonly known as the eastern showy aster, simply showy aster or purple wood aster, is an herbaceous perennial native to the eastern United States. It is present along the coastal plain of the U.S. where it is most often found growing in dry, sandy soils. Although it is not considered threatened due to its extensive range, it is locally endangered in many states. The flowers appear in the fall and show ray florets that are a violet-purple and yellow disc florets. It is one of the parent species of the hybrid Eurybia × herveyi.

<i>Eurybia chlorolepis</i> Species of plant in the family Asteraceae

Eurybia chlorolepis, commonly known as the mountain wood aster, mountain aster, or Appalachian heartleaf aster, is a perennial, herbaceous plant native to the southeastern United States. It is present only at relatively high elevations in the Appalachian mountains. Although it is not considered seriously threatened due to a large number of sites in some of its range, it is often locally endangered and possibly extirpated in the south of its range.

<i>Eurybia saxicastelli</i> Species of flowering plant

Eurybia saxicastelli, commonly known as the Rockcastle aster, is an herbaceous perennial native to the south eastern United States. It is present only in the states of Kentucky and Tennessee along the Rockcastle River and the nearby Big South Fork River. As a result of its extremely restricted range as well as human alterations to its habitat, it is considered critically imperiled by NatureServe. The flowers appear in the late summer through fall and have ray florets that are pale blue to pale white and yellow disc florets that turn purplish with age.

<i>Eurybia sibirica</i> Species of plant

Eurybia sibirica, commonly known as the Siberian aster or arctic aster, is an herbaceous perennial native to north western North America and northern Eurasia. It is found largely in open areas of subarctic boreal forests, though it is also found in a wide variety of habitats in the region. It is similar in appearance to Eurybia merita, but their ranges overlap only near the border between the US and Canada, where E. sibirica is generally found at higher elevations.

<i>Eurybia conspicua</i> Species of flowering plant

Eurybia conspicua, commonly known as the western showy aster, is a North American species of plants in the family Asteraceae. It is native to western Canada and the western United States.

Eurybia radulina, commonly known as the roughleaf aster, is an herbaceous perennial in the family Asteraceae. It is native to western North America, where it is present primarily west of the Cascade Range in both Canada and the United States. Its habitats include dry rock outcrops, slopes, edges of forests, and oak woodlands.

Eurybia integrifolia, commonly called the thickstem aster, is an herbaceous perennial in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the western United States where it grows primarily in the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin, and the Sierra Nevada in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, Nevada, and California.

<i>Eurybia radula</i> Species of flowering plant

Eurybia radula, commonly known as the low rough aster or rough wood aster, is an herbaceous perennial in the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern North America where it is present from Newfoundland and Labrador in the far northeast of Canada, west to Ontario and south to Kentucky and Virginia in the United States. The low rough aster is also present on the French overseas territory of St. Pierre and Miquelon just south of Newfoundland. It typically grows in wet soils in a wide variety of habitats from bogs and fens to creek shores to ditches. Although it is not considered threatened over most of its distribution, it is imperiled or possibly extirpated over much of its range in the United States. Its flower heads emerge in the late summer to early fall and show pale blue-violet rays with yellow centres.

Eurybia paludosa, commonly known as the southern swamp aster, is an herbaceous perennial in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the southeastern United States where it is confined to the Carolinas and the states of Georgia and Florida. It is generally confined to moist soils, though it can occasionally be found on sand hills along the coastal plain. The southern swamp aster is often confused with the closely related southern prairie aster, though they do not occur in the same habitats or geographical areas. Its flower heads emerge in the late summer through fall and show deep lavender to purple rays with yellow centres.

Eurybia jonesiae, commonly known as Jones's aster or Almut's wood aster, is a North American species of herbaceous perennial native to the Southeastern United States, primarily in the state of Georgia with a few populations in eastern Alabama. It is found mostly in the Piedmont Region in rich oak-hickory-pine forest. Within these rich woods, it has an affinity for moist soils with habitats that include ravines, rocky ridges, and wooded slopes in the vicinity of rivers and streams. Due to its restricted range it is considered threatened by the Nature Conservancy. It has often been misidentified as Eurybia spectabilis and was declared a separate species quite recently in 1988. The flowers emerge in the late summer and persist into the fall bearing cream-coloured ray florets that become purple and yellow disc florets.

<i>Chaenactis suffrutescens</i> Species of flowering plant

Chaenactis suffrutescens is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Shasta chaenactis.

<i>Solidago multiradiata</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago multiradiata is a species of goldenrod known by the common names Rocky Mountain goldenrod, northern goldenrod, and alpine goldenrod. It is native to North America, where it can be found throughout the northern regions, including Alaska and most of Canada (all 3 territories plus all provinces except Prince Edward Island, including territory north of the Arctic Circle. Its distribution extends through the western United States as far south as Arizona, New Mexico, and California. It is known mostly from the subalpine and alpine climates of high mountain ranges. Its habitat includes tundra and mountain meadows.

<i>Artemisia norvegica</i> Species of flowering plant

Artemisia norvegica is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names alpine sagewort, boreal sagewort, mountain sagewort, Norwegian mugwort, arctic wormwood, and spruce wormwood. It is found in cold locations in Eurasia and high altitudes and high latitudes in North America.

<i>Erigeron barbellulatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron barbellulatus, commonly known as shining fleabane, is a species of fleabane in the family Asteraceae.

References

  1. "Eurybia merita". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2007-12-14.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Eurybia merita (A.Nelson) G.L.Nesom". The Global Compositae Checklist (GCC) via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  3. "Eurybia merita". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  4. "Eurybia merita". Calflora. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database.
  5. Brouillet, Luc (2006). "Eurybia merita". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 20. New York and Oxford via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.