Eurybia surculosa

Eurybia surculosa, commonly known as the creeping aster, is an herbaceous perennial in the composite family that was previously treated in the genus Aster. It is native to the eastern United States where it is found in sandy soils along the coastal plain, though when E. compacta is also present, it exists farther inland in the southern Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau. Although the species is not seriously threatened, it is locally endangered in Virginia and Alabama. The flowers, which have bluish violet ray florets and pale yellow disc florets that eventually turn purplish, emerge in summer and persist into the fall.

Creeping aster
Line drawing of the capitula, pappi and leaves [1]

Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Eurybia
Species:
E. surculosa
Binomial name
Eurybia surculosa
(Michx.) G.L.Nesom
Synonyms
  • Aster surculosus Michx.
  • Aster liatroides Muhl. ex DC.

Distribution and habitat

Eurybia surculosa in native to the eastern United States where is occurs both along the coastal plain, especially in the north of its range, as well as in the southern Appalachians. It tends not to coexist with E. compacta, and where this plant occurs, E. surculosa is usually confined to inland areas and the mountains. There are isolated populations in Massachusetts and Connecticut in the north, and then a continuous range from Delaware and Maryland south through Virginia and the Carolinas to Georgia. To the west it is present in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio, though it is absent in West Virginia It typically grows at elevations of 200 to 1500 meters (670–5000 feet) in both dry and wet sandy soils. Its habitats include open areas, pinelands, oak scrub, clearings, bogs, as well as along roadsides.[3]

References
  1. illustration from Briton & Brown's 1913 Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada
  2. NatureServe (2006), "Eurybia surculosa", NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life, Version 6.1., Arlington, Virginia
  3. Brouillet, Luc (2006), "Eurybia surculosa", in Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.), Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA), 20, New York and Oxford – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA


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