Symphyotrichum adnatum

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Symphyotrichum adnatum
Symphyotrichum adnatum Gil.jpg
Photo taken by Gil Nelson
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae ⁄ Compositae
Genus: Symphyotrichum
Species: S. adnatum
Binomial name
Symphyotrichum adnatum
(Nutt.) G.L. Nesom
SYMP ADNA dist.jpg
Natural range of Symphyotrichum adnatum from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Scaleleaf aster

Taxonomic notes

Synonym: Aster adnatus Nuttall.[1]

Description

A description of Symphyotrichum adnatum is provided in The Flora of North America.

Distribution

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, S. adnatum can be found in longleaf pine savannas, pine flatwood communities, annually burned pinelands, slash pine plantations, and open mixed woodlands.[2] It is restricted to native groundcover with a statistical affinity in upland pinelands of South Georgia.[3] A study exploring longleaf pine patch dynamics found S. adnatum to be most strongly represented within stands of longleaf pine that are between 90-180 years of age.[4] S. adnatum is frequent and abundant in the Clayhill Longleaf Woodlands community type and is an indicator species for the Panhandle Silty Longleaf Woodlands community type as described in Carr et al. (2010).[5]

Soil types include loamy sand and sand.[2] S. adnatum became absent or decreased its occurrence in response to soil disturbance by agriculture in southwest Georgia.[3][6][7]

Associated species include Euthamia minor, Andropogon virginicus, Eupatorium compositifolium, Gnaphalium obtusifolium, Chamaecrista fasciculata, Chrysopsis mariana, Diodia teres, Sericocarpus tortifolius, Aristida, Ctenium, and Sporobolus.[2]

Phenology

This species has been observed to flower from January to November[8], and fruits November through December.[2]

Seed dispersal

This species is thought to be dispersed by wind.[9]

Fire ecology

Populations of Symphyotrichum adnatum have been known to persist through repeated annual burns.[10][11]

Conservation, cultivation, and restoration

S. adnatum should avoid soil disturbance by agriculture to conserve its presence in pine communities.[3][6][7]

Cultural use

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-atlantic states. Working Draf of 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: July 2015. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Robert K. Godfrey, Leon Neel, R. A. Norris, R. Komarek, Kathleen Craddock Burks. States and Counties: Florida: Bay, Leon, Wakulla, Walton. Georgia: Thomas. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ostertag, T.E., and K.M. Robertson. 2007. A comparison of native versus old-field vegetation in upland pinelands managed with frequent fire, South Georgia, USA. Pages 109–120 in R.E. Masters and K.E.M. Galley (eds.). Proceedings of the 23rd Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference: Fire in Grassland and Shrubland Ecosystems.
  4. Mugnani et al. (2019). “Longleaf Pine Patch Dynamics Influence Ground-Layer Vegetation in Old-Growth Pine Savanna”.
  5. Carr, S.C., K.M. Robertson, and R.K. Peet. 2010. A vegetation classification of fire-dependent pinelands of Florida. Castanea 75:153-189.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Hedman, C.W., S.L. Grace, and S.E. King. (2000). Vegetation composition and structure of southern coastal plain pine forests: an ecological comparison. Forest Ecology and Management 134:233-247.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Kirkman, L.K., K.L. Coffey, R.J. Mitchell, and E.B. Moser. Ground Cover Recovery Patterns and Life-History Traits: Implications for Restoration Obstacles and Opportunities in a Species-Rich Savanna. (2004). Journal of Ecology 92(3):409-421.
  8. Nelson, G. PanFlora: Plant data for the eastern United States with emphasis on the Southeastern Coastal Plains, Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ Accessed: 19 MAY 2021
  9. Kirkman, L. Katherine. Unpublished database of seed dispersal mode of plants found in Coastal Plain longleaf pine-grasslands of the Jones Ecological Research Center, Georgia.
  10. Robertson, K.M. Unpublished data collected from Pebble Hill Fire Plots, Pebble Hill Plantation, Thomasville, Georgia.
  11. Platt, W.J., R. Carter, G. Nelson, W. Baker, S. Hermann, J. Kane, L. Anderson, M. Smith, K. Robertson. 2021. Unpublished species list of Wade Tract old-growth longleaf pine savanna, Thomasville, Georgia.