Symphyotrichum chapmanii

Symphyotrichum chapmanii (formerly Aster chapmanii and Eurybia chapmanii) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to the Apalachicola River drainage basin of Alabama and Florida. Commonly known as savanna aster, it is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach 30 to 80 centimeters (1 to 2+1⁄2 feet) tall. Its flowers have purple to blue-lavender ray florets and pale yellow disk florets. It is a wetland species and is of conservation concern. It may be extirpated in Alabama.

Symphyotrichum chapmanii
Symphyotrichum chapmanii, Apalachicola National Forest, Florida
Conservation status
Imperiled  (NatureServe)
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. Chapmaniana
Species:	S. chapmanii
Binomial name
Symphyotrichum chapmanii (Torr. & A.Gray) Semple & Brouillet
Native distribution
Synonyms
Aster chapmanii Torr. & A.Gray Eurybia chapmanii (Torr. & A.Gray) G.L.Nesom Heleastrum chapmanii (Torr. & A.Gray) Shinners

Description

Savanna aster is a perennial, herbaceous plant that grows from a cespitose root system with rhizomes. It typically reaches heights 30–80 cm (12–31 in) on one to three hairless stems. It has cylinder-bell shaped involucres with green, purple-tipped phyllaries in 4–6 rows on its involucres. It blooms September–December with flower heads that have 8–23 purple to pale bluish-purple ray florets 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) long surrounding 47–57 pale yellow disk florets.

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  Flower head from bottom
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  Bracts, involucre, and phyllaries
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  Phyllary detail
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  Flower head from top

References

• Brouillet, L.; Semple, J.C.; Allen, G.A.; Chambers, K.L.; Sundberg, S.D. (2006). "Symphyotrichum chapmanii". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 20. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 14 July 2021 – via eFloras.
• NatureServe (2 July 2021). "Eurybia chapmanii Chapman's Aster". explorer.natureserve.org. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
• NRCS (2014). "Eurybia chapmanii". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 29 August 2021.
• POWO (2019). "Symphyotrichum chapmanii (Torr. & A.Gray) Semple & Brouillet". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
• Semple, J.C. (28 January 2014). "Symphyotrichum subg. Chapmaniani Chapman's Aster". www.uwaterloo.ca. Ontario. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.