Common Name:
SMOOTH ASTER
Synonym:
Aster laevis
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Coefficient of Conservatism:
5
Coefficient of Wetness:
3
Wetness Index:
FACU
Physiognomy:
Nt P-Forb
B. S. Walters
Aster laevis of Michigan Flora
Dry open forests (oak, aspen, jack pine) and thickets, especially at borders and clearings; fields and roadsides; sandy plains, bluffs, stabilized dunes; prairies, meadows, shores; rarely in wet places such as fens.
In its relatively few, large (long-rayed) heads this species somewhat resembles S. ciliolatum; furthermore, sometimes broad leaves below the middle of the stem taper to the base, even appearing to have narrowly to broadly winged petioles; however, S. ciliolatum does not have the clasping leaf bases so characteristic of S. laeve. The species is quite variable in leaf shape and number of heads. Also, some plants have long-creeping rhizomes, while others have only a short perennial base. The species might repay more detailed study.