OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Symphyotrichum retroflexum   FAMILY Asteraceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphyotrichum retroflexum   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Symphyotrichum retroflexum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)

Symphyotrichum retroflexum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)

Symphyotrichum retroflexum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of Vascular Plants of NE US & Adjacent Canada (Gleason & Cronquist,1991)

Aster retroflexus

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-024:

Aster curtisii   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Aster curtisii

 

COMMON NAME:
Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm130922_493

September    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

13-30 blue to purple rays. Disc florets cream to pale yellow becoming pinkish, per Flora of North America.

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm130922_497b

September    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

Readily recognized by the green, leafy, strongly recurved, involucral bracts, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE involucral bracts of North American asters

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm130922_500

September    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

Leaf margins serrulate or entire, per Flora of North America.

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm130922_501

September    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

A Southern Appalachian Aster found in only 4 states, one of NC's most showy, per Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005).

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm130922_502b

September    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

Phyllaries spreading to squarrose (outer foliaceous), per Flora of North America.

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm140907_359

September    Jackson County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm140907_361

September    Jackson County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm230927_5610

September    Pickens County    SC

Laurel Fork Heritage Preserve

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131009_854

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131009_856

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

Stem leaves smooth & glabrous on both surfaces (or slightly pubescent beneath), per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131009_861

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131009_861b

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131009_868

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131009_870

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131009_885

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

Bases cuneate, scarcely or not clasping, to slightly rounded and ± clasping, per Flora of North America.

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131029_068

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131029_068b

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131029_080b

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131029_084

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

Pappus whitish to reddish, 5.3-6 mm, per Flora of North America.

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131029_088

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131029_096

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131029_138

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131029_143

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm131029_147

October    Pickens County    SC

Table Rock State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm151024_543

October    Greenville County    SC

Blue Wall Preserve

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm151024_546

October    Greenville County    SC

Blue Wall Preserve

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm151024_550

October    Greenville County    SC

Blue Wall Preserve

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm201107_8076

November    Greenville County    SC

Caesars Head State Park

image of Symphyotrichum retroflexum, Curtis's Aster, Rigid Whitetop Aster

JK Marlow    jkm201107_8079

November    Greenville County    SC

Caesars Head State Park

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Symphyotrichum retroflexum   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphyotrichum retroflexum   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Symphyotrichum retroflexum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Symphyotrichum retroflexum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Symphyotrichum retroflexum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of Vascular Plants of NE US & Adjacent Canada (Gleason & Cronquist,1991)
Aster retroflexus

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-024:
Aster curtisii   FAMILY Asteraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Aster curtisii

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

152

Forb
Perennial

Habitat: Moist forests, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common in Mountains (rare in Piedmont)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate (basal leaves often absent or withered at flowering)

FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Rays: Blue/ Violet
Disc: Whitish becoming purplish
Flower heads with 13-30 ray flowers
Inferior ovary
Disc flowers bisexual & fertile/ Ray flowers pistillate & fertile

Flower heads in loose many-headed panicles

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Achene

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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