''Eurybia merita'', commonly known as the subalpine aster or arctic aster (not to be confused with ''
Eurybia sibirica'', which shares the latter common name), is an herbaceous perennial native to northwestern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, primarily from the
Interior Mountains and Plateau system and
Rocky Mountains in
Canada, stretching south to
Utah and extreme northern
California. It is found largely in drier, open areas, generally at subalpine levels in mountains, though in more northern areas it is more common at lower elevations. It is similar in appearance to ''Eurybia sibirica'', but their ranges only overlap near the border between the US and Canada, where ''E. sibirica'' is generally found at higher elevations than its relative. The flowers emerge in the late summer and display purple to violet
ray florets and pale or creamy yellow
disc florets.
Distribution and habitat
''Eurybia merita'' is present in much of northwestern North America. There are also a few isolated populations in the
Black Hills of
South Dakota. The primary distribution is from
Alberta and
British Columbia in Canada, south as far as northern
Utah and to
Siskiyou County,
California.
It is found at heights ranging from 100 up to 3200 metres (330–10670 feet) in soils that range from
mesic
Mesic may refer to:
* Mesic, North Carolina, a town in the United States
* Mesic habitat, a type of habitat
See also
*Mesić (disambiguation)
*Mešić Mešić is a Bosnian surname, a patronymic derived from the masculine given name '' Meša'', it ...
to dry. Open woods, rocky areas, clearings and recently burnt areas constitute its primary habitat. It may also be found along sandy, rocky or gravely creek banks. Within these habitats, it is most commonly associated with subalpine meadows and
Douglas fir
The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...
,
lodgepole pine or
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
forests. While it is generally restricted to subalpine elevations in mountains, it is found at lower elevations in the north of its range.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5413954
Flora of Northern America
merita
Merita is a brand of breads that was produced by Hostess Brands and now produced by Flowers Foods, available throughout the Southeastern United States until November 16, 2012, when Hostess's management decided to liquidate Hostess. The company ga ...
Plants described in 1899