Eurybia hemispherica (Alexander) G.L. Nesom

Southern Prairie Aster; Prairie Wood Aster; Southern Aster

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Southern Prairie Aster is a native herbaceous perennial in the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). It is found in the northern and western portions of Alabama where it occurs on dry to moist prairies, in pine woodlands, in openings in hardwood forests, and on roadsides. It is a perennial from a woody creeping rhizome or caudex. Leaves are basal and cauline. Basal leaves are usually absent at flowering. Leaves are lanceolate to linear, coriaceous, with entire and often revolute margins, and winged petioles. The leaves are thick, glabrous above and sparsely pubescent with minute, swollen-based hairs below. Stems are erect to ascending, unbranched, reddish brown in color, glabrous towards the base and slightly pubescent near the apex. Flowers are produced in heads. The heads are in racemes or corymbs. Heads are on short peduncles or sub-sessile with 0-4 linear bracts. Phyllaries are coriaceous, 48-64 in 4-6 series. Each head has 15-30 blue to white ray florets and 50-80 yellow disc florets. The fruit is a fusiform, ribbed achene with pappus of cinnamon bristles. Southern Prairie Aster is sometimes available from nurseries specializing in prairie plants. It prefers a dry to mesic clay soil in full sun.—A. Diamond

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Native FACU (NWPL)

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