Symphyotrichum depauperatum

Symphyotrichum depauperatum (formerly Aster depauperatus), commonly known as serpentine aster or starved aster,[4][5] is a rare species in the family Asteraceae adapted to serpentine barrens, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil. It has been found in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and on some diabase glades in North Carolina. It grows to 50 centimeters (1+3⁄4 feet) and has white ray florets surrounding a center of yellow disk florets.

Symphyotrichum depauperatum
S. depauperatum from the serpentine grassland demonstration area in Nottingham, Pennsylvania.

Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Astereae
Subtribe: Symphyotrichinae
Genus: Symphyotrichum
Subgenus: Symphyotrichum subg. Symphyotrichum
Section: Symphyotrichum sect. Symphyotrichum
Species:
S. depauperatum
Binomial name
Symphyotrichum depauperatum
Endemic distribution[2][1]
Synonyms[3]

Basionym

  • Aster depauperatus Fernald
Alphabetical list
    • Aster ericoides var. depauperatus Porter
    • Aster ericoides var. pusillus A.Gray
    • Aster parviceps var. pusillus Fernald
    • Aster pilosus var. pusillus (A.Gray) A.G.Jones

Description

Symphyotrichum depauperatum is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach up to 50 centimeters (1+3⁄4 feet) tall, with 1–3 stems. The leaves are narrow and generally 2–4 centimeters (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 inches) long. The plant produces numerous flower heads in branched arrays, each head with 7–14 white or, rarely, pink ray florets surrounding 7–17 yellow disk florets.[4]

  • A plant in flower
  • Flowers
  • Growth habit

Taxonomy

Within the genus Symphyotrichum, S. depauperatum has been classified in subgenus Symphyotrichum section Symphyotrichum subsection Porteriani.[6] Its full name with author citation is Symphyotrichum depauperatum (Fernald) G.L.Nesom.[3] It was first described by American botanist Merritt Lyndon Fernald in 1908 as Aster depauperatus.[7]

Distribution and habitat
A stream in a serpentine barren in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

S. depauperatum is adapted to serpentine barrens, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil. It has been found in Baltimore[2] and Cecil Counties, Maryland;[1] Granville County, North Carolina;[2] and, Chester, Delaware, and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania.[1]

Serpentine aster has been called a "flagship species" of the unique serpentine ecosystem and was once thought to be endemic to these barrens, but it also has been found to occur in a disjoint population on diabase glades in Granville County, North Carolina.[8]

Conservation

Symphyotrichum depauperatum is classified by the state of Pennsylvania as a threatened species because its range is restricted to a few limited areas, and the majority of its populations occur on sites threatened by quarrying, housing development, and industrial development.[9]

As of July 2021, NatureServe listed it as globally Imperiled (G2); Critically Imperiled (S1) in Maryland and North Carolina; and, Imperiled (S2) in Pennsylvania. NatureServe's most recent review of S. depauperatum's global status was 3 October 1997.[1]

Citations
  1. NatureServe 2021.
  2. Gustafson & Latham 2005, p. 1447.
  3. POWO 2021.
  4. Brouillet et al. 2006.
  5. USDA 2021.
  6. Nesom 1994, p. 270.
  7. IPNI 2021.
  8. Gustafson & Latham 2005.
  9. Pennsylvania DCNR n.d.

References

Information about Symphyotrichum depauperatum information can also be seen at the following pages:

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