SALTMARSH ASTER
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Symphyotrichum subulatum   (Michx. ) G.L. Nesom
[=Aster subulatus Michx.  var. ligulatus Shinners]
Carter County, Oklahoma
Annual
Height: 4-40 inches
Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Flowering Period:   August, September,October
Stems: Erect or prostrate, much branched above, glabrous.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, sessile, linear to linear-lanceolate, 1/2 to 7 inches long, 1/12 to 1 inch wide, margins entire or remotely serrate, upper leaves much reduced.
Inflorescences: Heads in panicle-like, diffuse arrays.
Flowers: Involucre 1/5 to 1/3 inch tall; involucral bracts overlapping in 3 or 4 series, tapering to point, greenish toward apex, tip reddish or purple; ray florets 15-30 or more, ligule 1/8 to 1/6 inch long, purple to pink or white; disk florets numerous, yellowish.
Fruits: Achenes, tiny, glabrous, brownish; pappus of hair-like bristles.
Habitat: Low, damp or drying sites; saline soils.
Distribution: Principally in central and south-central Kansas.
Forage Value: Rarely grazed by livestock.
Comments: A weedy species that can be a problem in lawns.

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