common panicled aster

Symphyotrichum lanceolatum ssp. lanceolatum is a subspecies of the Symphyotrichum lanceolatum plant, which is a member of the Asteraceae family. It is commonly known as common panicled aster.

This plant is native to North America and is found in a variety of habitats, including prairies, meadows, and open woods.

This subspecies is differentiated from ssp. hesperium by characteristics of the inflorescence. The flower heads are usually subtended by smaller, narrower, leaf-like bracts. The outer bracts of the involucre (phyllaries) are shorter, one-third to two-thirds the length of the inner ones.

Sources

3, 4, 7, 28, 29, 30.

This and other asters were formerly place in the genus Aster. That genus was problematic, in that it did not include just one common ancestor with all of its lineal descendants and no others – it was not monophyletic. In 1994, the genus Symphyotrichum was resurrected to include most North American asters formerly in the genus Aster.