Eurybia compacta
| Slender aster | |
|---|---|
 | |
| E. compacta in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Astereae |
| Genus: | Eurybia |
| Species: | E. compacta |
| Binomial name | |
| Eurybia compacta G.L.Nesom | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Aster gracilis Nutt. | |
Eurybia compacta, commonly known as the slender aster, is an herbaceous perennial native to the southeastern United States. It is commonly found along the coastal plain in dry sandy soils, especially in pinelands. While it is not considered to be in high danger of extinction, it is of conservation concern and has most likely been extirpated from much of its original range. The slender aster was for a long time believed to be a variety of E. surculosa, but Guy Nesom's recent research within the genus has shown that it is distinct enough to be treated as a species. It has also been shown to be related to E. avita and E. paludosa. The flowers emerge from midsummer to the beginning of fall and show pale light violet to reddish purple ray florets and pale yellow disc florets at the center.
Taxonomy
The first name applied to the slender aster was Aster gracilis, which was given by Thomas Nuttall in 1818. Asa Gray later decided that it was better treated as a variety of Aster surculosus. When Guy Nesom decided to transfer many of the North American plants within the genus Aster to Eurybia, the plant needed to receive a new name as a Eurybia gracilis had already been used for a different species named by George Bentham in 1837, and now placed in Camptacra.[1][2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Eurybia compacta". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
- ↑ Brouillet, Luc (2006). "Eurybia compacta". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America 20. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 377.