Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses - Southern prairie aster

SOUTHERN PRAIRIE ASTER

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Eurybia hemispherica (Alexander ) G.L. Nesom

[=Aster hemisphericus Alexander]

[=Aster paludosus Aiton var. hemisphericus (Alexander ) Cronquist]

Cloud County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 8-24 inches

Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family

Flowering Period: August, September,October

Also Called:

Single-stemmed bog aster.

Stems:

Erect or ascending, usually solitary, unbranched below inflorescence, glabrous or short-hairy below heads.

Leaves:

Alternate, stiff, leathery, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 1 to 4.2 inches long, mostly 1/6 to 1/4 inch wide, glabrous, midrib conspicuous; upper surface shiny; margins entire or sometimes remotely toothed; tip sharply pointed; lower stem leaves often absent by flowering; upper leaves progressively reduced, sessile.

Inflorescences:

Cluster, raceme-like, elongate, heads mostly 3-8, occasionally only solitary; involucre bell-shaped or hemispherical, 2/5 to 1/2 inch tall; bracts narrowly lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, glabrous, in 4-6 unequal to nearly equal series; tips sharply pointed, green, loosely ascending to spreading or recurved; margins minutely rough or short-hairy, pale yellow or purplish.

Flowers:

Ray florets 15-35, ligules 2/5 to 1 inch long, purple to bluish-purple; disk florets 40-95, corollas about 1/4 inch long, yellow, turning reddish purple or brownish purple.

Fruits:

Achene, cylindrical to narrowly oblong, sometimes slightly flattened, ribbed, short-hairy to occasionally glabrous; tipped with numerous finely barbed light tan or reddish bristles, 1/5 to 1/3 inch long; enclosing small seed.

Habitat:

Upland prairies, roadsides, pastures, railroads, open damp or drying sites; sandy soils.

Distribution:

Southeast 1/6 of Kansas.

Uses:

Sometimes cultivated as an ornamental.

Comments:

Southern prairie aster is occasionally found outside of its native range along highways, most likely arriving in wildflower seed mixes.

Southern prairie aster