''Symphyotrichum depauperatum'' (formerly ''Aster depauperatus''), commonly known as serpentine aster or starved aster, is a rare species in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

adapted to

serpentine barrens Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially anti ...

, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil. It has been found in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and on some

diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-graine ...

glades in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. It grows to and has white ray florets surrounding a center of yellow disk florets.

Description

''Symphyotrichum depauperatum'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

that may reach up to tall, with 1–3 stems. The leaves are narrow and generally 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. File:Symphyotrichum depauperatum 50071438.jpg, A plant in flower File:Symphyotrichum depauperatum 67278234.jpg, Flowers File:Symphyotrichum depauperatum 619554.jpg, Growth habit

Taxonomy

Within the genus ''Symphyotrichum'', ''S. depauperatum'' has been classified in subgenus ''Symphyotrichum'' Its full name with author citation is ''Symphyotrichum depauperatum'' . It was first described by American botanist Merritt Lyndon Fernald in 1908 as ''Aster depauperatus''.

Distribution and habitat

''S. depauperatum'' is adapted to

, an ecosystem with a high concentration of toxic metals in the soil. It has been found in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and

Cecil Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada *Cecil, Alberta, ...

Counties, Maryland; Granville County, North Carolina; and,

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania. Serpentine aster has been called a " flagship species" of the unique serpentine ecosystem and was once thought to be

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to these barrens, but it also has been found to occur in a disjoint population on

glades in Granville County, North Carolina.

Conservation

''Symphyotrichum depauperatum'' is classified by the state of

as a

threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

because its range is restricted to a few limited areas, and the majority of its populations occur on sites threatened by quarrying,

housing development A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...

, and industrial development. , 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.

Citations

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

Information about ''Symphyotrichum depauperatum'' also can be seen at the following pages:
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center (''wildflower.org'')

University of Waterloo ''Astereae Lab''

''Vascular Plants of North Carolina''

''Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program''

''Maryland Biodiversity Project''

as Pennsylvania Threatened in the ''Pennsylvania Code'' {{Taxonbar, from1=Q782731, from2=Q38782076 depauperatum Threatened flora of the United States Endemic flora of the United States Flora of the Eastern United States Plants described in 1884 Taxa named by Merritt Lyndon Fernald