Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Perennial Saltmarsh Aster - Symphyotrichum tenuifolium   (L.) Nesom
Members of Asteraceae:
Members of Symphyotrichum with account distribution info or public map:
Google Images
Section 6 » Order Asterales » Family Asteraceae
Show/Hide Synonym
Author(L.) Nesom
DistributionOuter Coastal Plain, Outer Banks, and other barrier islands.

Maritime -- southern ME to central FL and southeastern TX.
AbundanceFairly common to locally common. Seems to be slightly less numerous than the closely related S. subulatum, which often grows with it.
HabitatSalt marshes, brackish marshes, tidal freshwater marshes.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting September - mid-November.
IdentificationPerennial Saltmarsh Aster is quite easy to identify, due to its single glabrous and usually zig-zag stem, linear leaves without teeth, open inflorescences, and heads borne singly on short branches. Each head is small and with white to pinkish or lavender rays 5-9 mm long. Annual Saltmarsh Aster (S. subulatum) is quite similar but has ray florets only 3-4 mm long, at times seemingly lacking.
Taxonomic CommentsNOTE: The genus Aster was examined by G.L. Nesom (1994), who determined that it was composed of a number of discrete genera (a few of which were already split off by authors as Sericocarpus, Ionactis, etc.). The earliest available name for North American "Aster" is Symphyotrichum, a name regrettably long and hard to spell.

Other Common Name(s)None
State RankS3? [S3S4]
Global RankG5
State Status
US Status
USACE-agcpOBL link
USACE-empOBL link
County Map - click on a county to view source of record.
Photo Gallery
photographercommentsphoto_linkcountyobsType
B.A. SorrieCarolina Beach SP, brackish margin of river at marina, late Sept 2017. New HanoverPhoto_natural
Select a source
AllHerbaria
Individual
Website
Select an occurrence type
AllCollection_naturalPhoto_natural