E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Symphyotrichum falcatum (Lindl.) G.L. Nesom
White Prairie Aster (Lindley's Aster; little grey aster)
Asteraceae (Aster family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Bryan Kelly-McArthur  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #87642)

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Distribution of Symphyotrichum falcatum
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a fibrous-rooted, creeping rhizome; stems erect to ascending, branched and short-hairy above, 30-60 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves usually deciduous; stem leaves linear, unstalked, entire, usually stiff-hairy.
Flowers:
Heads with ray and disk flowers, several to many, solitary at the end of the branchlets, in racemes on the stem or branches; involucres 5-8 mm tall; involucral bracts graduated, linear-oblong to linear or the outer spoon-shaped with a whitish base, obtuse to abruptly sharp-pointed, the tips often loose, stiff-hairy and usually hairy on the backs; ray flowers 20-35, white, rarely pale pinkish or purplish-tinged, 5-10 mm long; disk flowers yellow.
Fruits:
Achenes several-nerved, hairy; pappus white.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry grasslands, rocky slopes, disturbed areas and open forests in the steppe and montane zones; frequent in SC and SE BC, rare in NE BC; N to AK, YT and NT, E to SK and S to NM, AZ and WA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Symphyotrichum falcatum

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 516 1084 1765
Slope Gradient (%) 0 4 18
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
0 312 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
2 4 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
E
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
12
Modal BEC Zone Class
SBPS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: IDF(5), SBPS(5)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References