Aster? Heck, I ast my whole friends page!

[urbpan]

Beaming with regional pride, I found what I thought was New England Aster; I tried to identify it, and thought for one shocking moment that it was New York Aster! Then I looked into the field guide again and realized it could be any of a number of asters. If anyone can recognize it from these photos, I wouldn't care where it was from, I'd just be grateful.



The field marks are pretty hard to distinguish, I realize. I'm happy to call it an unidentified aster.

Comments

[artemii.livejournal.com]

where did you find it (place and conditions)?

this is what wild new york aster looks like: http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/symphyotrichumnovi.html

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Along the edge of Leverett Pond. Next to some purple loosestrife, and the dodder that I'm about to post.

[ankhanu.livejournal.com]

IDing this aster complex can be difficult. If I remember correctly, many of the key steps require the use of a scope and inspection of the seeds.

Asters

[jformanorth.videntity.org (from livejournal.com)]

I had a short tutorial from someone at Garden in the Woods once, the key was the involucral bracts (little scale-like green things at the base of the flower...basically right where your photos go all dark and shady :-) ).

Also they've gone and renamed a lot of them Symphyotrichum.

Aster

[(Anonymous)]

Identifying Asters can be a bit tricky as "some species hybridize freely, producing offspring with characters intermediate between the two parents."

My guess would be it's a Bog Aster A. nemoralis
"Leaves very numerous, 1/2 to 2 1/2" long, with the rough margins turned slightly inward. Light violet-purple rays; heads 1-1 1/2" wide. 6-24" high. Bogs and shores, N.J., N.Y. and Mich. nouth."

I have posted a picture of my New England Asters that I transplanted from my grandparent's yard on my blog here Asters (http://www.mittineague.com/blog/2006/10/asters/)

Quotes From Newcomb's Wildflower Guide
Little, Brown and Company Boston-Toronto-London 1977