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Wetland Plants and Plant Communities of Minnesota and Wisconsin

Appendix B

KEY TO THE WETLAND ASTERS (Aster) OF MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN

(Modified from Gleason and Cronquist (1991) and Swink and Wilhelm (1994))

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1A. Involucral bracts and peduncles glandular-pubescent; leaves auriculate-clasping; herbage often glandular; rays very numerous, violet or amethyst to rosy, rarely blue or white; large discs yellow to yellow-orange, distinctive ...............Aster novae-angliae

1B. Plant with inflorescence pubescent or glabrous, but not glandular.

• 2A. Stem leaves with perfoliate or auriculate-clasping bases.
  • 3A. Stems reddish, coarsely hispid; leaves not serrate, and not conspicuously crowded; inner involucral bracts taper to a slender tip; rays violet; nutlets glabrous; clonal ...............Aster puniceus

  • 3B. Stems green or with purple lines or nodes, glabrous or sparingly hispid; leaves not serrate but conspicuously crowded, particularly towards the inflorescence; inner involucral bracts taper to a slender tip; rays very pale blue or lavender; nutlets pubescent; clonal ...............Aster lucidulus

  • 3C. Stems zig-zag and are pubescent to glabrous toward the base; leaves nearly perfoliate and coarsely serrate; rays blue to pale purple; nutlets strigose; not clonal; rare ...............Aster prenanthoides

• 2B. Stem leaves usually not clasping at the base (not auriculate).

  • 4A. Flowering heads are flat-topped (inflorescence is a corymb); rays white; not clonal ...............Aster umbellatus

  • 4B. Flowering heads not flat-topped.
    • 5A. Stem leaves entire or serrate, more than 8 mm. wide, not linear.
      • 6A. Leaves pubescent beneath; rays white to slightly purple ...............Aster ontarionis

      • 6B. Leaves glabrous or only pubescent along the veins.
        • 7A. Leaves entire or subentire, 5 times as long as wide; usually scabrous above; rays usually bluish-purple ...............Aster praealtus

        • 7B. Leaves mostly serrate, usually less than 5 times as long as wide; usually not scabrous above.
          • 8A. Flower heads secund (racemes 1-sided); leaves usually villous or puberulent beneath, at least along the midrib; rays usually white; not clonal ...............Aster lateriflorus

          • 8B. Flower heads form a panicle and are usually not secund; inflorescence leafy; leaves are usually glabrous beneath, except for occasionally ciliated margins; rays usually white; clonal ...............Aster simplex

    • 5B. Leaves essentially entire, less than 8 mm. wide, linear.
      • 9A. Leaves yellowish green, with revolute margins, generally scabrous above; areolae isodiametric ...............Aster praealtus

      • 9B. Leaves green to dark green, margins not revolute, glabrous or scabrous, areolae mostly rectangular.
        • 10A. Ray flowers about 10 mm. long; flower heads few, subcorymbose, terminal; plant slender; rays white to pale lavender; typically found in open cold bogs and open fens ...............Aster junciformis

        • 10B. Ray flowers less than 10 mm. long; flower heads numerous, forms a panicle; plant stouter; generally not found in cold bogs ...............Aster simplex

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