Aster The Wild Asters comprise a genus of over two hundred and fifty species, of which nearly fifty species occur in New York State. They are mostly perennial, branching herbs with alternate, simple leaves and corymbose or paniculate heads of both tubular and radiate flowers. Involucre varying from hemispheric to campanulate or turbinate, with its bracts overlapping in several series, the outer ones usually shorter and smaller. Ray flowers white, pink, purple, blue or violet, pistillate. Disk flowers perfect, tubular, their corollas five-lobed, usually yellow and changing to red, brown or purple; pappus bristles slender, numerous, rough or minutely toothed, usually in one, sometimes in two series; achenes mostly flattened and nerved.

Key to the New York Species of Aster .4 Basal and lower leaves, or some of them, cordate and slender petioled Stem leaves, or some of them, cordate-clasping; plant rough when dry..........

1 A. undulatus None of the stem leaves cordate-clasping; rays white, violet or rose

Rays white or rarely rose, usually two-toothed; plants not glandular

Involucre ovoid, campanulate or turbinate: its bracts mostly obtuse or rounded; basal leaves few and small, or commonly none (except A. glomeratus) Leaves membranous or thin, smooth or nearly so

Heads short-peduncled, three-fourths of an inch broad or less, the disk turning crimson; leaves acute or short-acuminate

2 A. carmesinus

Heads long-peduncled, three-fourths of an inch broad or more, the disk turning brown or reddish; leaves long-acuminate

Heads 1 inch broad or more; leaves of the branches large, long, lanceolate, acuminate.......3 A. tenebrosus

Heads three-fourths to 1 inch broad; leaves of the branches small, obtuse or acute..........4 A. divaricatus

Leaves thick, firm, rough; heads one-third to one-half of an inch high; inflorescence paniculate or glomerate Leaves acute or short-acuminate, pilose beneath; inflorescence glomerate..........................5 A. glomeratus

Leaves long-acuminate; not pilose beneath; inflorescence open-paniculate .............................6 A. claytoni

Involucre cylindric; its bracts tapering to an obtuse apex; basal leaves large, tufted Bracts of the involucre pale, scarious, usually without herbaceous tips....................................7 A. curvescens

Bracts of the involucre broader, with herbaceous tips............

8 A. sehreberi Rays violet, usually three-toothed; plants glandular

Predominant glands large, capitate; leaves thick, coarse, heavy

Sinus broad; glands chiefly confined to the inflorescence; plant usually harsh.......................9 A. macrophyllus

Sinus narrow; glands abundant on the leaves and stem; growing plant clammy............................10 A. roscidus

Predominant glands minute, scarcely capitate; leaves usually thin

Inflorescence very irregular, paniculate-corymbose; plants often 4 to 5 feet high; broader leaves large, cordate, acute .11 A.nobilis Inflorescence rather regular, flat, or convex-topped; plants usually less than 2' feet tall

Sinus broad and shallow

Broader leaves orbicular-cordate, their teeth and the inflorescence-leaves inconspicuous. .12 A. ianthinus Broader leaves reniform, sharply incised; some inflorescence-leaves conspicuous.................13A. violaris

Sinus rather deep and narrow; broader leaves ovate-cordate, sharply serrate...................14 A. multiformis

Rays blue or purple; plants not glandular; bracts of the involucre appressed or nearly so; rays eight to twenty Leaves all entire, or nearly so, thick and firm, rough-puberulent on both sides, the upper bractlike...................15 A. azureus

Leaves nearly all sharply serrate and thin

Heads 2 to 3 lines high, numerous; bracts obtuse or bluntish

Leaves rough; petioles not wing-margined; bracts appressed. .

16 A. cordifolius Leaves smooth, or nearly so; petioles, or some of them wing-margined.....................17 A. 1 owrieanus

Heads 4 to 5 lines high, usually few; bracts acute or acuminate. . . .

18 A. lindleyanus Heads 3 to 5 lines high, numerous; bracts acute or acuminate; stems glabrous or nearly so; bract-tips spreading...............

19 A. sagittifolius No cordate and petioled leaves; those of the stem, or some of them, with more or less cordate or auricled clasping bases (only slightly auricled in A. tardi-florusand sometimes in A. laevis) Stem rough, or hirsute-pubescent

Leaves, at least the lower, sen-ate; stem hispid-pubescent; bracts glabrous or ciliate.........................................20 A. puniceus

Leaves entire, oblong, linear or lanceolate

Heads one-half to 1 inch broad, the linear to linear-lanceolate leaves but slightly clasping; bracts hispid or ciliate

21 A. amethystinus Heads 1 to 2 inches broad; leaves sessile and strongly clasping

Stems hirsute; leaves lanceolate; involucre hemispheric; bracts viscid............................22 A. novae-angliae

Stems rough; leaves oblong to lanceolate; involucre turbinate

Leaves thick, firm, very rough, oblong to oval..............

23 A. patens

Leaves thin, roughish, oblong-lanceolate....................

24 A. phlogifolius Stem glabrous, or only sparingly pubescent above Leaves sharply serrate

Leaves tapering to the base

Leaves narrowed to the base, the lower into winged petioles......

25 A. tardiflorus

Leaves scarcely or gradually narrowed at the base.................

20 A. puniceus Leaves abruptly contracted into margined petioles, often enlarged near the base..............................26 A. prenanthoides

Leaves usually strongly cordate-clasping; bracts green-tipped........

27 A. laevis Leaves entire or nearly so

Involucre campanulate, its bracts appressed, green-tipped

Stem leaves oblong, lanceolate or oval-lanceolate. .27 A. laevis

Stem leaves elongated-lanceolate............28 A. concinnus

Involucre hemispheric

Bracts in one or two series; leaves linear to lanceolate............

29 A. longifolius Bracts in several series, unequal

Bracts linear-subulate; leaves narrowly linear...............

30 A. junceus

Bracts lanceolate, leaves lanceolate, 2 to 6 inches long........

31 A. novi-belgii C Leaves sessile or petioled, scarcely or not at all clasping

Leaves silky or silvery-canescent, entire; heads in a narrow raceme; bracts linear

32 A. concolor Leaves neither silvery, silky nor canescent; leaves entire or toothed Bracts of the involucre with herbaceous tips

Tips of the involucral bracts spreading (little spreading in A. radula , erect or spreading in A. herveyi); heads large, showy; rays violet to purple

Leaves oblong-lanceolate, sharply serrate, rugose, the basal leaves usually wanting.............................33 A. radula

Leaves lanceolate to oblong, the lower sparingly dentate

Basal leaves with unmargined petioles......34 A. hervevi

Basal leaves with margined petioles, bracts glandular........

35A. spectabi 1 i s Involucral bracts all appressed (except in A. multiflorus, a small-headed species); rays mostly white, sometimes purple Heads unilaterally racemose

Stem leaves oval, oblong, or lanceolate, serrate, or chiefly so

Stem pubescent or glabrate......36 A. lateriflorus

Stem villous; leaves narrowly lanceolate, thin..........

37 A. hirsuticaulis Stem leaves linear-lanceolate to linear, nearly entire; stem glabrate.............................38 A. vimineus

Heads not unilaterally racemose, mostly paniculate

Involucral bracts spatulate, mostly ciliate, somewhat spreading, at least the outer ones obtuse; plants roughish-puberulent

39 A. multiflorus Involucral bracts appressed, acute

Heads solitary at the ends of very small-leaved branchlets

40 A. dumosus Heads paniculate

Stem leaves lanceolate, serrate or entire Heads 8 to 10 lines broad

Plants glabrous, or sparingly pubescent above

Leaves firm, roughish or rough; rays often purplish; involucral bracts acute

41 A. salicifolius

Leaves thin, smoothish; rays chiefly white; involucral bracts acuminate. . .

42 A. paniculatus Plant puberulent all over.................

43 A. tradescanti

Heads 6 to 8 lines broad; stem leaves narrowly lanceolate............43 A. tradescanti

Stem leaves linear-lanceolate to subulate, mostly entire Heads scattered, 6 to 9 lines broad; upper leaves linear.......................44 A. faxoni

Heads numerous, 4 to 7 lines broad; upper leaves subulate; involucre subhemispheric, 21/2 to 3 lines high; rays usually white

Paniculately branched, bushy..............

45 A. ericoides Simple, or with slender ascending branches

46 A. pring1ei Bracts of the involucre without herbaceous tips Bracts linear-subulate, acuminate

Leaves firm, 3 inches long or less, entire or sparingly serrate......

47 A. nemoralis

Leaves thin, 6 inches long or less, sharply serrate................

48 A. acuminatus Bracts oblong or oblong-lanceolate, obtuse or acutish; leaves narrow, entire..................................49 A. ptarmicoides

D Leaves fleshy, narrow, entire; plants of salt marshes or saline soil

Perennial; heads 6 to 12 lines broad; involucral bracts lanceolate, acuminate.....

50 A. tenuifolius

Annual; heads 3 to 5 lines broad; involucral bracts linear-subulate; disk flowers fewer than the very short rays........................51 A.subulatus