Symphyotrichum lentum

Symphyotrichum lentum (formerly Aster lentus) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae with the common name of Suisun Marsh aster.^[4] It is a perennial and herbaceous plant endemic to the marshes of Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta of Northern California.

Symphyotrichum lentum
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. Symphyotrichum
Section:	Symphyotrichum sect. Occidentales
Species:	S. lentum
Binomial name
Symphyotrichum lentum (Greene) G.L.Nesom[2]
Symphyotrichum lentum distribution by county in California[3]
Synonyms[2]
Aster chilensis var. lentus (Greene) Jeps. Aster lentus Greene

Description

Symphyotrichum lentum is similar in appearance to Symphyotrichum chilense, which may be found in the same area. It is a colonial perennial herb producing a hairless stem 40 to 200 centimeters (1+1⁄4 to 6+1⁄2 feet) tall from a long rhizome. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped, pointed, and up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) long near the base of the plant. The lower leaves wither by the time the plant flowers. The inflorescence is an open array of flower heads with a fringe of violet ray florets around a center of yellow disc florets. The fruit is a hairy cypsela with a long white pappus.^[5]

Symphyotrichum lentum

Distribution and habitat

Symphyotrichum lentum is endemic to the salt marshes and wet grasslands of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta in Northern California.^[5]

Conservation

NatureServe lists it as Imperiled (G2) worldwide.^[1]