Slender aster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender aster |
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| E. compacta in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. | |
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The slender aster (scientific name: Eurybia compacta) is a plant that lives for many years. It grows naturally in the eastern United States. You can find it from New Jersey all the way down to Georgia.
This plant often grows in dry, sandy soils. It especially likes areas called pinelands, which are forests with many pine trees. Even though it's not in high danger of disappearing completely, people are a bit worried about it. It has likely vanished from many places where it used to grow.
For a long time, the slender aster was thought to be just a type of another plant called E. surculosa. But new research by Guy Nesom showed it's special enough to be its own species. It is also related to other plants like E. avita and E. paludosa.
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What the Slender Aster Looks Like
The slender aster can grow up to 70 centimeters (about 28 inches) tall. As the plant gets older, its stem can become a bit woody.
Its Flowers
The flowers of the slender aster appear from mid-summer to early fall. Each plant can have as many as 55 flower heads. These heads are grouped together in a flat-topped shape.
Each flower head is quite pretty! It has 5 to 14 "ray florets" around the outside. These look like petals and can be pale blue, light violet, or reddish-purple. In the center, there are 10 to 20 "disc florets," which are usually pale yellow.
Where the Slender Aster Lives
The slender aster prefers to grow in dry, sandy soils. It is often found along the coastal plain. This is the flat, low-lying land next to the ocean. It especially thrives in pinelands, which are forests dominated by pine trees.
How the Slender Aster Got Its Name
The slender aster has had a few different names over time.
The First Name
The very first name given to this plant was Aster gracilis. This name was given by a scientist named Thomas Nuttall in 1818.
A Name Change
Later, another scientist named Asa Gray thought it would be better to call it a type of Aster surculosus. So, for a while, it was known as Aster surculosus var. gracilis.
The Current Name
More recently, a scientist named Guy Nesom moved many North American plants from the Aster group to the Eurybia group. When this happened, the slender aster needed a new name. This is because the name Eurybia gracilis was already being used for an Australian plant. That Australian plant was named by George Bentham in 1837 and is now called Camptacra gracilis. To avoid confusion, the slender aster was given its current scientific name, Eurybia compacta.
