Symphyotrichum dumosum
| Symphyotrichum dumosum | |
|---|---|
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| Photo by John Hilty hosted at IllinoisWildflowers.info | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida - Dicots |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Symphyotrichum |
| Species: | S. dumosum |
| Binomial name | |
| Symphyotrichum dumosum (L.) G.L. Nesom | |
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| Natural range of Symphyotrichum dumosum from USDA NRCS Plants Database. | |
Common Name(s): long-stalked aster;[1] rice button aster[2]
Contents
Taxonomic Notes
Synonyms: Aster dumosus, A. dumosus var. coridifolius (Michaux) Torrey & A. Gray; A. coridifolius Michaux
Varieties: S. dumosum (Linnaeus) G.L. Nesom var. dumosum; S. dumosum (Linnaeus) G.L. Nesomvar. gracilipes (Wiegand) G.L. Nesom; S. dumosum (Linnaeus) G.L. Nesom var. pergracile (Wiegand) G.L. Nesom; S. dumosum (Linnaeus) G.L. Nesom var. strictior (Torrey & A. Gray) G.L. Nesom; S. dumosum (Linnaesu) G.L. Nesom var. subulifolium (Torrey & A. Gray) G.L. Nesom
Description
Symphyotrichum dumosum is a dioecious perennial forb/herb.[2] The plant is stiff with leafy branches possessing numerous flower heads. Flowers consist of white to pale lavender rays with a yellow to brown central disk.[3][4] Rays are 3-5 mm long, 0.9-1.2 mm wide, and numbered between 8-15 per flower. Its roots are creeping, branching, short, stout, and herbaceous[4] averaging a maximum depth of 17.00 cm and having a mean root porosity of 54.5%.[5]
Distribution
S. dumosum occurs from New Brunswick and Maine, south to Florida, and westward to Texas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario, Canada.[2]
Ecology
Habitat
S. dumosum can be found in old fields, disturbed areas, pastures, woodlands, glades.[1] While widely found in the southern extent of its range, it is restricted to shorelines in the northern portion of its range.[3] In clayhill longleaf woodlands of the Florida panhandle, S. dumosum occurred in 93% of plots and had a mean coverage of 0.0109 m-2. Upper panhandle savannas had the same mean coverage but a higher frequency (100%) of S. dumosum, while panhandle seepage savannas had a 100% frequency but 0.0035 m-2 mean coverage.[6] When exposed to soil disturbance by military training in West Georgia, S. dumosum responds negatively by way of absence.[7]
Symphyotrichum dumosum var. dumosum is frequent and abundant in the Clayhill Longleaf Woodlands and Upper Panhandle Savannas community types as described in Carr et al. (2010).[8]
Phenology
Flowering occurs in late August through October,[1] although reports of flowering exist for several months throughout the year.[9]
Seed dispersal
This species is thought to be dispersed by wind. [10]
Fire ecology
Symphyotrichum dumosum persists in frequently burned (1-5 year fire interval) upland longleaf pine communities.[11]. However, in a 47 year unburned Florida area (NB66), it increased from zero to 31% relative frequency in 1 m2 plots.[12], suggesting tolerance of shade and fire exclusion.
Pollination
This species is known to attract several species of native bees.[3]
Conservation and Management
Cultivation and restoration
Photo Gallery
References and notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Weakley AS (2015) Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Herbarium.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 USDA NRCS (2016) The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 12 January 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Plant database: Symphyotrichum dumosum. (12 January 2018) Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. URL: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYDU2
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chmielewski JG, Semple JC (2001) The biology of Canadian weeds. 113. Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (Willd.) Nesom [Aster lanceolatus Willd.] and S. lateriflorum (L.) Love & Love [Aster lateriflorus (L.) Britt.]. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 81:829-849.
- ↑ Brewer JS, Baker DJ, Nero AS, Patterson AL, Roberts RS, Turner LM (2011) Carnivory in plants as a beneficial trait in wetlands. Aquatic Botany 94:62-70.
- ↑ Carr SC, Robertson KM, Peet RK (2010) A vegetation classification of fire-dependent pinelands of Florida. Castanea 75(2):153-189.
- ↑ Dale, V.H., S.C. Beyeler, and B. Jackson. (2002). Understory vegetation indicators of anthropogenic disturbance in longleaf pine forests at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. Ecological Indicators 1(3):155-170.
- ↑ Carr, S.C., K.M. Robertson, and R.K. Peet. 2010. A vegetation classification of fire-dependent pinelands of Florida. Castanea 75:153-189.
- ↑ 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: 12 JAN 2018
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Robertson, K.M. 2017. Pebble Hill Fire Plots unpublished data. Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, Tallahasse, FL.
- ↑ Clewell AF (2014) Forest development 44 years after fire exclusion in formerly annually burned oldfield pine woodland, Florida. Castanea 79(3):147-167.
