Sericocarpus rigidus

Lindley

in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor. Amer. 2: 14. 1834.

Common names: Columbian white-topped aster
Endemic
Synonyms: Aster curtus Cronquist
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 20. Treatment on page 104. Mentioned on page 103.

Plants 19–37 cm. Stems erect, puberulent. Leaves basal and proximalmost cauline withering by flowering; cauline sessile; blades obovate, 10–60 × 3–9 mm, margins entire, apices acute, distal acuminate, faces puberulent. Heads 2–3 per branch, in compact corymbiform arrays. Peduncle bracts ovate, puberulent. Involucres 6–9 mm. Phyllaries in 3–4 series, outer 3–5 mm, mid 5–7 mm, puberulent. Ray florets 1–2; corolla tubes 2–4 mm, laminae 2–3 mm. Disc florets 9–17; corolla tubes 4–6 mm, lobes 0.6–1 mm. Ovaries fusiform-obconic, 1–2 mm, strigose; pappi: inner series 6–7 mm.


Phenology: Flowering mid summer–early fall.
Habitat: Prairie habitats, dry pastures, dry grassy Garry oak forests with rocky outcrops
Elevation: 10–200 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Sericocarpus rigidus grows on the southern part of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and in scattered locations to the south end of the Puget Sound area in Washington. It is rare throughout its range and is listed as threatened in Canada, as Species of Concern by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as Sensitive in Washington, and as Threatened in Oregon. It is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Sericocarpus rigidus"
John C. Semple +  and Michelle R. Leonard +
Lindley +
Columbian white-topped aster +
B.C. +, Oreg. +  and Wash. +
10–200 m +
Prairie habitats, dry pastures, dry grassy Garry oak forests with rocky outcrops +
Flowering mid summer–early fall. +
in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor. Amer. +
Aster curtus +
Sericocarpus rigidus +
Sericocarpus +
species +