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

Symphyotrichum laeve (L.) Á. Löve & D. Löve
smooth aster
Asteraceae (Aster family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #30149)

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Distribution of Symphyotrichum laeve
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a fibrous-rooted, usually short rhizome or woody stem-base; stems erect, branched above, glabrous or nearly so, 0.4-1.2 m tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves stalked and soon deciduous; stem leaves lanceolate to broadly lanceolate or egg-shaped, unstalked and usually clasping, 8-18 cm long, 1-3.5 cm wide, entire or shallowly toothed, glabrous or nearly so and tending to be glaucous.
Flowers:
Heads with ray and disk flowers, few to many in an open, round-topped inflorescence; involucres 5-7 mm tall; involucral bracts graduated, linear or often awl-shaped, sharply pointed with elongate green tips, margins fringed with small hairs; ray flowers 15-30, blue or purple, 6-10 mm long; disk flowers yellow.
Fruits:
Achenes 4-5 nerved, glabrous; pappus usually reddish.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry meadows and forests in the lowland and montane zones; common in S BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains and S of 55degreeN, less frequent in NE BC and S Vancouver Island, lacking from NW BC; N to NT, E to ON and S to KS, MO, UT, NM and OR.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Symphyotrichum laeve

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) 500 1187 2012
Slope Gradient (%) 0 27 82
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		10 212 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		1 3 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 110
Modal BEC Zone Class
 IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: ESSF(22), ICH(5), IDF(55), MS(25), PP(2)

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.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Aster laevis

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Asteraceae
 Flora North America treatment for Symphyotrichum laeve
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-03-02 6:31:41 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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