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.^[4] 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.^[5] It may be extirpated in Alabama.^[1]

Symphyotrichum chapmanii
Symphyotrichum chapmanii, Apalachicola National Forest, Florida
Conservation status
Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
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[2]
Native distribution[3]
Synonyms[2]
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.^[5]

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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