Symphyotrichum depauperatum

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Symphyotrichum depauperatum
Symphyotrichum depauperatum at Nottingham 1.JPG
S. depauperatum from the serpentine grassland demonstration area in Nottingham, Pennsylvania.
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (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: Symphyotrichum
Section: Symphyotrichum sect. Symphyotrichum
Species:
S. depauperatum
Binomial name
Symphyotrichum depauperatum
Symphyotrichum depauperatum distribution.png
Endemic distribution [2] [1]
Synonyms [3]

Basionym

  • Aster depauperatusFernald
Alphabetical list
    • Aster ericoides var. depauperatus Porter
    • Aster ericoides var. pusillus A.Gray
    • Aster parviceps var. pusillus Fernald
    • Aster pilosus var. pusillus (A.Gray) A.G.Jones

Symphyotrichum depauperatum (formerly Aster depauperatus), commonly known as serpentine aster or starved aster, [4] [5] is a rare species in the family Asteraceae adapted to serpentine barrens, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil. It has been found in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and on some diabase glades in North Carolina. It grows to 50 centimeters (1+34 feet) and has white ray florets surrounding a center of yellow disk florets.

Contents

Description

Symphyotrichum depauperatum is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach up to 50 centimeters (1+34 feet) tall, with 1–3 stems. The leaves are narrow and generally 2–4 centimeters (341+12 inches) long. The plant produces numerous flower heads in branched arrays, each head with 7–14 white or, rarely, pink ray florets surrounding 7–17 yellow disk florets. [4]

Taxonomy

Within the genus Symphyotrichum, S. depauperatum has been classified in subgenus Symphyotrichumsection Symphyotrichumsubsection Porteriani. [6] Its full name with author citation is Symphyotrichum depauperatum(Fernald) G.L.Nesom. [3] It was first described by American botanist Merritt Lyndon Fernald in 1908 as Aster depauperatus. [7]

Distribution and habitat

A stream in a serpentine barren in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Stream-serpentine-barrens-lancaster-pa.jpg
A stream in a serpentine barren in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

S. depauperatum is adapted to serpentine barrens, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil. It has been found in Baltimore [2] and Cecil Counties, Maryland; [1] Granville County, North Carolina; [2] and, Chester, Delaware, and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania. [1]

Serpentine aster has been called a "flagship species" of the unique serpentine ecosystem and was once thought to be endemic to these barrens, [8] but it also has been found to occur in a disjoint population on diabase glades in Granville County, North Carolina. [9]

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 development, and industrial development. [10]

As of August 2022, NatureServe listed it as Globally Imperiled (G2); Critically Imperiled (S1) in Maryland and North Carolina; and, Imperiled (S2) in Pennsylvania. NatureServe's most recent review of S. depauperatum's global status was 3 October 1997. [1]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 NatureServe (2022).
  2. 1 2 3 Gustafson & Latham (2005), p. 1447.
  3. 1 2 POWO (2021).
  4. 1 2 Brouillet et al. (2006).
  5. USDA, NRCS (2014).
  6. Nesom (1994), p.  270.
  7. IPNI (2021).
  8. Gustafson & Latham (2005), p. 1445.
  9. Gustafson & Latham (2005), pp. 1449–1450.
  10. Pennsylvania DCNR (n.d.).

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References

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