User:Eewilson/Spilosum

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(formerly Aster pilosus) is a perennial, herbaceous, flowering plant in the Asteraceae family native to central and eastern North America. It is commonly called, , , , , , , , , and. There are two varieties: Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum, known by the common names previously listed, and Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei, known as. Both varieties are conservationally secure globally and in most provinces and states where they are native.

The varieties differ in morphology, distribution, and habitat; S. pilosum var. pilosum is hairy, and S. pilosum var. pringlei is hairless, or nearly so. S. pilosum var. pilosum is the more widespread of the two and grows in various dry habitats, often with weeds. S. pilosum var. pringlei grows in higher-quality calcium-rich ecosystems, often with many non-weedy companion flora. S. pilosum has been introduced to several European and Asian countries.

The species usually reaches heights between 20 cm and 120 cm. It blooms late summer to late fall with composite flowers that are 0.5 to 0.75 in wide and have white ray florets and yellow disk florets. S. pilosum var. pilosum and the rare endemic Symphyotrichum kentuckiense breed and produce a hybrid that has been named Symphyotrichum × priceae. S. pilosum also hybridizes with other Symphyotrichum species. S. pilosum var. pringlei has been used in the cultivar industry, and it and its cultivar 'Ochtendgloren' have won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Description
Symphyotrichum pilosum is a perennial, herbaceous, flowering plant that reaches heights between 20 cm and 120 cm; some plants can be as short as 5 cm and others up to or taller than 150 cm. It flowers late summer to late fall, in the north ending in October and farther south in December.

There are two varieties: Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum and S. pilosum var. pringlei. They differ in morphology, chromosome count, distribution, and habitat. S. pilosum var. pilosum is the autonym, with hairy stems and leaves. It is widespread and often weedy. S. pilosum var. pringlei is hairless, less common, and often grows in high-quality habitats.

Roots and stems
The roots of S. pilosum have bulky and branched caudices that sometimes have long rhizomes which store nutrients for the next year's flowering. The plant is cespitose with one to five straight stems. The two varieties have different stem surfaces: S. pilosum var. pilosum has hairy stems (pilose to densely hirsute), and S. pilosum var. pringlei has stems with no hair (glabrous) or at most, they are hairy in vertical lines.

Leaves
S. pilosum has thin, alternate, and simple leaves. Those of S. pilosum var. pilosum are hairy, and those of S. pilosum var. pringlei are hairless or nearly hairless. Leaves grow at the base, on the stem, and in the inflorescence branches. The ground leaves (basal leaves) are either sessile or have very short leafstalks with sheathing wings fringed with hairs on the margins (edges), meaning they are ciliate. They are oblanceolate or obovate to spatulate with obtuse to rounded tips, and their bases are attenuate. Their margins are slightly wavy or saw-toothed, mostly near the tips. Basal leaves range in lengths from 10 to 60 mm and widths from 5 to 15 mm. They grow in a rosette and develop prior to flowering, then wither or die during plant growth. At the time of flowering, another rosette of basal leaves forms.

Lower stem leaves usually wither by flowering, and they often have small leaves in clusters at the stem nodes. These stem leaves are entire (smooth on the margins) to saw-toothed and have soft cilia. Their tips are attenuate, and the leaves are elliptic-oblanceolate, elliptic-oblong, linear-lanceolate, or linear-oblanceolate. The leaf bases can be petiolate or subpetiolate to subsessile, and they clasp the stem with attenuate to cuneate bases with wings. Lengths are from 40 to 102 mm and widths from 5 to 25 mm, getting progressively smaller as they approach the upper portion of the stem.

Distal leaves, higher on the stem and on the branches with the flower heads, are lance-oblong, linear-lanceolate, linear, linear-oblanceolate, or linear-subulate. Their margins are entire or saw-toothed, and they are sessile with cuneate bases. Lengths range from 10 to 100 mm and widths are 1 to 8 mm. The leaves get progressively smaller near the inflorescences; closest to the flower heads, their sizes are abruptly reduced.

Flowers


The flower heads of Symphyotrichum pilosum are 0.5 to 0.75 in wide and grow on branches that are 100 mm or less at wide angles off the stem (divaricate). They also may be ascending and arching. They are open, generally not crowded, and have many small leaves. Each flower head is on a peduncle that is usually 5 to 30 mm, sometimes as long as 50 mm. They get shorter the farther up the branch they grow which then causes the inflorescence to look like a pyramid. The peduncles of S. pilosum var. pilosum have dense and bristly hairs (hispid), and those of S. p. var. pringlei are hairless (glabrous). Both varieties have from 7 to 25 or more bracts that are glabrous and may have cilia.

Involucres and phyllaries
Flower heads of all members of the Asteraceae family have phyllaries which are small, specialized leaves that look like scales. Together they form the involucre that protects the individual flowers in the head before they open. The involucres of Symphyotrichum pilosum are campanulate to cylindro-campanulate in shape (bell to cylinder-bell) and usually 3.5 to 5.1 mm in length, although they can be as short as 2.5 mm and as long as 6.5 mm.

The phyllaries of S. pilosum var. pilosum have small and sparse hairs, meaning they are hirsutulous, and those of variety pringlei are glabrous. Both varieties have phyllaries in 4 to 6 rows that are unequally aligned, and rarely subequally aligned. The phyllaries are appressed or slightly spreading, and the outer ones are oblong-lanceolate in shape, while the inner are linear. They have green chlorophyllous zones that are lanceolate to lance-rhombic with apices (tips) that have either short and sharp points (acute) or taper to long points (acuminate). Their margins appear white or light green, but they are actually translucent and may appear nibbled or worn away (in botanical terms, they are scarious and erose). They are inrolled at the tips.

Florets
Each flower head is made up of ray florets and disk florets. The 16 to 28 ray florets grow in one series and are usually white, rarely pinkish or bluish. They are usually between 5.4 and 7.5 mm in length, but can be as short as 4 mm and as long as 11 mm. They are 0.4 to 1.7 mm wide and they make up about 45% of the total number of florets on a flower head.

The disks have 17 to 39 florets that start out as yellow and after opening, turn reddish purple or brown after pollination. Each disk floret is 3.4 to 4.1 mm in depth, sometimes up to 5.5 mm, and is made up of 5 petals, collectively a corolla, which open into 5 lanceolate lobes comprising 0.4 to 1 mm of the depth of the floret.

Fruit
The fruits of Symphyotrichum pilosum are not true achenes but are cypselae, resembling an achene and surrounded by a calyx sheath. This is true for all members of the Asteraceae family. After pollination, they become off-white or gray with an oblong-obovoid shape, 1 to 1.5 mm in length, and 0.5 to 0.7 mm in width. They have 4 to 6 nerves and a few stiff, slender bristles on their surfaces (strigillose). Their pappi (tufts of hairs) are white and 3.5 to 4 mm in length. The seeds mature late in the season but cannot germinate at low temperatures. They are dispersed by the fall and winter winds and germinate when temperatures become warm in the spring.

Chromosomes
S. pilosum has a monoploid number (also called base number) of eight chromosomes There are plants of S. pilosum var. pilosum with four and six sets of the chromosomes, tetraploid with 32 total and hexaploid with 48 total, respectively. These cytotypes occur regularly, with occasional pentaploids (five sets) that have 40 in total. S. pilosum var. pringlei is hexaploid with a total chromosome count of 48.

Differences in morphology have been found between tetraploids and hexaploids of S. pilosum var. pilosum in southwestern Ontario, including involucre and floret sizes, branch length, leaf sizes, and others; they are consistently smaller on tetraploids than on hexaploids. Additionally, the leaf hair on tetraploids is denser than on hexaploids.

Similar species
Several Symphyotrichum species can be confused with S. pilosum.

S. depauperatum
S. pilosum var. pringlei and Symphyotrichum depauperatum are superficially similar; at a detailed level, a difference can be seen in the involucres and phyllaries. S. pilosum var. pringlei has bell to cylinder-bell shaped involucres, whereas S. depauperatum has only cylinder-bell shaped involucres. S. pilosum var. pringlei has spreading phyllaries with chlorophyllous tips and inrolled margins. S. depauperatum always has tightly appressed phyllaries.

S. ericoides
Symphyotrichum ericoides is a species often confused with S. pilosum but can be differentiated by its flower heads and phyllaries. S. ericoides has smaller flower heads than S. pilosum, and whereas the phyllaries of S. pilosum are inrolled at the tips, the tips of S. ericoides are spinulose. The name Aster ericoides has been used incorrectly to represent Symphyotrichum pilosum (and Aster pilosus) in published floras and the horticultural industry.

S. kentuckiense
Symphyotrichum kentuckiense

S. lanceolatum
Symphyotrichum lanceolatum

S. parviceps
Symphyotrichum parviceps

S. porteri
Symphyotrichum porteri

Etymology
The specific epithet, second part of the scientific name, pilosum is from Latin meaning "with long soft hairs". The species has the common names of hairy white oldfield aster, frost aster, white heath aster, heath aster, hairy aster, common old field aster, old field aster, awl aster, nailrod, and steelweed. Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei is commonly known as Pringle's aster and was named for American botanist Cyrus Guernsey Pringle.

Varieties
Two varieties were accepted by Plants of the World Online (POWO). S. pilosum var. pilosum, the autonym, has hairy stems and leaves. It is widespread and often weedy. S. pilosum var. pringlei is hairless, or nearly so, and grows in calcium-rich ecosystems with many companion flora.

History
Symphyotrichum pilosum
 * basionym: Aster pilosus
 * botanists
 * specimen collector: French botanist Louis Claude Marie Richard; source specimen & IPNI
 * collected date(s): not on sheet
 * authority: German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow Willd.
 * Sp. Pl., ed. 4 [Willdenow] 3(3): 2025 (1803)
 * protologue: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/667414/
 * citation:
 * date/year: April–December 1803
 * called it "Weisshaarige Sternblume" ("White-haired Starflower")
 * "Habitat in America boreali in regione Illinoensium" ("He lives in North America in the Illinois region")
 * synonym(s): Aster villosus Michx. which was illegal and could not be used even though it was published 19 March 1803
 * subsequent classifications (do this in chronological order)
 * Aster chrysogonii Sennen: French botanist Frère Sennen
 * Aster ericoides var. pilosus (Willd.) Porter: American botanist Thomas Conrad Porter
 * Aster ericoides var. platyphyllus Torr. & A.Gray: American botanists John Torrey and Asa Gray
 * Aster ericoides f. villosus (Torr. & A.Gray) Voss: German botanist Andreas Voss
 * Aster ericoides var. villosus Torr. & A.Gray
 * Aster juniperinus E.S.Burgess: American botanist Edward Sandford Burgess
 * Aster pilosus var. demotus S.F.Blake: American botanist Sidney Fay Blake
 * Aster pilosus var. platyphyllus S.F.Blake
 * Aster pilosus f. pulchellus Benke: ("German-born American botanist": best source I found for this is https://www.manitowoccountyhistory.org/stories/benke, the Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Historical Society) Hermann Conrad Benke
 * Aster villosus Michx., nom. illeg.: French botanist André Michaux
 * Symphyotrichum pilosum (Willd.) G.L.Nesom: American botanist Guy L. Nesom

'Symphyotrichum pilosum'' var. pringlei'''
 * basionym: Aster ericoides var. pringlei
 * botanists
 * specimen collector: American botanist Cyrus Guernsey Pringle (for whom it was named); source specimen
 * collected date(s): 3 September 1879, 24 September 1880; source specimen
 * authority: Asa Gray A.Gray
 * Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1, pt. 2: 184 (1884) – pp. 184–185
 * protologue: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11296202/
 * year: 1884
 * citation:
 * subsequent classifications (do this in chronological order)
 * Aster faxonii Porter: Thomas Conrad Porter
 * Aster pilosus var. pringlei S.F.Blake
 * Aster polyphyllus Willd., nom. illeg.
 * Aster pringlei Britton: American botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton
 * Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei (A.Gray) G.L.Nesom: Guy L. Nesom

Type specimens
, the holotype of Aster pilosus Willd. was stored at the Herbarium Berolinense, Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum, Germany, and the Aster ericoides var. pringlei A.Gray holotype was stored at the United States National Herbarium, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Images of both specimen sheets are shown in this section and are available for more detailed viewing at the virtual online collection websites of their respective herbaria.

Classification
Symphyotrichum pilosum is classified in subgenus Symphyotrichum section Symphyotrichum subsection Porteriani. This subsection contains four species in addition to S. pilosum: S.depauperatum (serpentine aster), S.kentuckiense (Kentucky aster), S.parviceps (smallhead aster), and S.porteri (Porter's aster). Two commonalities among the five species are their inrolled phyllaries and their summer- and fall-forming basal leaf rosettes.

Subgenus Symphyotrichum cladogram

Native
Both varieties of Symphyotrichum pilosum are native to central and eastern Canada and the United States, with the more common being S. pilosum var. pilosum.

Variety pilosum
Sources differ slightly on the distribution of S. pilosum var. pilosum. According to Flora of North America (FNA), it is native from west starting in Minnesota, then east to Maine, including Ontario and Québec; south along the Atlantic Seaboard including most southern and eastern states; the entire Midwest; the states bordering the Mississippi River except Louisiana; then with a northwest border to Arkansas; and, four Great Plains states, from south to north, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. States on the Atlantic Seaboard with no reported presence are Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Vermont, plus West Virginia. FNA reports that it has been introduced to the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

POWO and NatureServe provide slightly different distribution information on this variety. According to POWO, it also is present in and native to Maryland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Like FNA, however, POWO reports that it is an introduced species in British Columbia. NatureServe's map for S. pilosum var. pilosum differs from FNA's with an additional introduced presence on Prince Edward Island; no presence in New Hampshire, Nebraska, or South Dakota; and, a presence in Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C.

Variety pringlei
S. pilosum var. pringlei is an east-central and northeastern North American variety, and according to FNA and POWO, it is native to the area encompassing Minnesota in the northwest then east to Québec and Nova Scotia, in the United States on the Atlantic Seaboard south to North Carolina, then northwest to Kentucky, Illinois, and then north to Wisconsin. NatureServe differs and includes a presence for this variety in Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Introduced
, S. pilosum var. pilosum was reported by NatureServe as an introduced species in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island; and, by POWO in the countries of Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, and Spain. , it was not on the European Union's List of invasive alien species of Union concern.

Variety pilosum habitat
S. pilosum var. pilosum is tolerant of harsh growing conditions. It usually is found at elevations between sea level and 1000 m in disturbed areas such as fallowed land, old fields, roadsides, salted roadsides, railroads, pastures, landfills, and quarries. It occurs less frequently in natural prairies, open deciduous woods, limestone outcrops, and, very uncommonly, wetlands. Hexaploids of this variety are usually founds in habitats that were once covered in glaciers.

Variety pringlei habitat


The presence of S. pilosum var. pringlei can be indicative of a high-quality remnant natural area. It is common in calcium-rich ecosystems such as calcareous grasslands and fens, limestone alvars, shale outcrops, and marly. It also has been found in various partially-sandy or sandy areas, on moraine cliffs along lakes in woodland openings, and in environments similar to these. It can be found in habitats attractive to S. pilosum var. pilosum almost as equally as in the higher-quality ones previously mentioned. Elevations of occurrences are from sea level to 1100 m, sometimes higher.

Wetland indicator statuses
Symphyotrichum pilosum is categorized on the United States National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) with the wetland indicator status rating of Facultative (FAC) in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain (AGCP) and the Eastern Mountains and Piedmont (EMP) regions. The FAC rating means that S. pilosum is likely to occur either in wetlands or non-wetlands. It is categorized Facultative Upland (FACU) in the Arid West (AW), Great Plains (GP), Midwest (MW), Northcentral and Northeast (NCNE), and Western Mountains, Valleys, and Coast (WMVC) regions. Rating FACU means that it usually occurs in non-wetlands within its range, but can occasionally be found in wetlands.

Coefficients of conservatism

 * Indiana	2004	Rothrock, P.E. 2004. Floristic quality assessment in Indiana: The concept, use, and development of coefficients of conservatism. Final Report for ARN A305-4-53, EPA Wetland Program Development Grant CD975586-01.	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum v. pringlei	smooth white aster		5
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/14


 * Indiana	2019	Update of 2004 Indiana database	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei	smooth white aster	SYMPIP	5	3	forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/156


 * Delaware	2013	McAvoy, W.A. 2013. The Flora of Delaware Online Database. Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, Species Conservation and Research Program, Smyrna, Delaware. http://www.wra.udel.edu/de-flora/Introduction/ 	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei; aster pilosus var. demotus	hairy heath aster		2	5	forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/23


 * Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain	2012	Mid-Atlantic Wetland Workgroup (MAWWG). 2012. Floristic Quality Assessment Index (FQAI) calculator. 	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum var pringlei		SYPIP2	1	0	forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/24


 * Mid-Atlantic Piedmont Region	2012	Mid-Atlantic Wetland Workgroup (MAWWG). 2012. Floristic Quality Assessment Index (FQAI) calculator. 	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum var pringlei		SYPIP2	1	0	forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/25


 * Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Valley Region	2012	Mid-Atlantic Wetland Workgroup (MAWWG). 2012. Floristic Quality Assessment Index (FQAI) calculator. 	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum var pringlei		SYPIP2	1	0	forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/26


 * Mid-Atlantic Allegheny Plateau (non-glaciated)	2012	Mid-Atlantic Wetland Workgroup (MAWWG). 2012. Floristic Quality Assessment Index (FQAI) calculator. 	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum var pringlei		SYPIP2	1	0	forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/27


 * Mid-Atlantic Allegheny Plateau (glaciated)	2012	Mid-Atlantic Wetland Workgroup (MAWWG). 2012. Floristic Quality Assessment Index (FQAI) calculator. 	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum var pringlei		SYPIP2	1	0	forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/28


 * Interior Plateau (EPA Ecoregions 70,71,72), of KY, TN, and AL	2013	Gianopulos, K. 2014. Coefficient of Conservatism Database Development for Wetland Plants Occurring in the Southeast United States. NC Dept. of Envir. Quality, Div. of Water Resources: Wetlands Branch. Report to the EPA. developed with 15 expert botanists	native		Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei	pringles aster	SYPIP2	9		forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/69


 * Flora of the Chicago Region	2017	Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database. 2018. Kenneth Johnson. [As per Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. 2017. Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha. Indiana Academy of Science. Indianapolis, IN.]	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei	pringles aster	SYMPVP	9	-1	forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/80


 * Chicago Region USACE	2017	https://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/FQA.aspx	native	Asteraceae	Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei	white oldfield american-aster	SYMPILP	9	1	forb	perennial
 * https://universalfqa.org/view_database/149

Associate species with S. pilosum have similar C-values. For example, where it and its varieties are native, Salix myricoides, an associate of S. pilosum var. pringlei, has C-values of 5 through 10, mostly 7 and above, meaning it is also a species indicative of high-quality remnant habitats.

Reproduction
S. pilosum's primary means of reproduction is through pollination, which occurs with the help of short or mid-length tongued insects from dawn to dusk. These insects are able to manipulate the small flower heads successfully and transfer pollen from one plant to another. The use of pollen from one plant to fertilize another is called allogamy (or cross-pollination) and is required by this species. Any occasional self-pollination produces only a few viable seeds. The seeds mature late in the season but cannot germinate at low temperatures. They are dispersed by the fall and winter winds and germinate in the spring. 

Hybridization
S. pilosum produces hybrids with other Symphyotrichum species that can survive and reproduce beyond the first generation (beyond F1 hybridization). These surviving hybrid populations are called hybrid swarms, variable groups of hybrids that, rather than being sterile, can reproduce with its parent species or each other. S. pilosum hybrids can interbreed with other hybrid individuals and backcross with their parent species. Its ability to do this has made S. pilosum valuable to the cut flower and cultivar industries.

S. pilosum var. pilosum and the rare endemic Symphyotrichum kentuckiense breed and produce an F1 hybrid that has been named Symphyotrichum × priceae. The parent plants are both within subsection Porteriani and have similar characteristics. However, S. kentuckiense is glabrous rather than pilose, and its flower heads are larger than those of S. pilosum, at about 25 mm wide, compared to those of S. pilosum, which are 0.5 to 0.75 in wide. The heads of S. kentuckiense have blue, blue-violet, pink, or purple ray florets. The hybrid is a somewhat hairy plant rather than a hairless one, and its characteristics are intermediate between its parents.

Putative F1 hybrids of Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum with twelve other species of the genus have been reported: S. cordifolium (common blue wood aster), S. drummondii (Drummond's aster), S. dumosum (bushy aster), S. laeve (smooth aster), S. lanceolatum (panicled aster), S. novi-belgii (New York aster), S. oolentangiense (skyblue aster), S. parviceps (smallhead aster), S. praealtum (willowleaf aster), S. racemosum (small white aster), S. tradescantii (shore aster), and S. urophyllum (arrowleaf aster). Additionally, based on the discovery of pentaploids of S. pilosum var. pilosum, it has been determined that intraspecific hybridization has occurred between varieties pilosum and pringlei or between the tetraploid and hexaploid cytotypes of variety pilosum.

Fungal associates
When growing in disturbed communities, S. pilosum has been found to contain beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizae in its roots. Four species of rust fungus have been recorded on the leaves of Symphyotrichum pilosum. Coleosporium asterum infects the abaxial surfaces with small yellow to orange pustules. The rust Puccinia cnici-oleracei (formerly named Puccinia asteris) infects the leaves with dark spores on their abaxial sides. Puccinia dioicae produces pale spots with pustules of similar color or darker in the center. Mildew on S. pilosum occurs but has not been found to do lasting damage to the plant.

Variety pilosum plant associates
Variety pilosum grows in plant communities with native and non-native grasses and flowering plants.

Grasses
S. pilosum var. pilosum can be found growing among grasses that have been introduced to North America, including Bromus inermis (smooth bromegrass), Poa compressa (Canada bluegrass), Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass), and Schedonorus arundinaceus (tall fescue).

Flowering plants
S. pilosum var. pilosum can be seen growing among North American native flowering plants such as Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod), Solidago altissima (tall goldenrod), Achillea millefolium (common yarrow), Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed), Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane), Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed), and Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed). On salted roadsides, it can occur with Symphyotrichum subulatum (eastern annual saltmarsh aster).

Variety pilosum also co-occurs with weedy flowering plants that have been introduced to North America, including Cirsium arvense (creeping thistle), Chenopodium album (lamb's quarters), Rumex crispus (curly dock), Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace), Securigera varia (crownvetch), Lactuca serriola (prickly lettuce), Melilotus albus (white sweetclover), Melilotus officinalis (sweet yellow clover), and Pastinaca sativa (parsnip).

Variety pringlei plant associates
Pringle's aster has been found among 120 associate species in southwestern Ontario, with 13 to 45 individual species counted in different populations. American botanist and lichenologist Gerould Wilhelm and American biologist Laura Rericha, in their 2017 Flora of the Chicago Region: a Floristic and Ecological Synthesis, list many companion flora. These depend upon the environment in which S. pilosum var. pringlei is growing.

Shrubs
Growing near to variety pringlei can be the naturally occurring native North American shrubs Dasiphora fruticosa (shrubby cinquefoil), Prunus pumila (sand cherry), and Salix myricoides (bayberry willow). <!-- '''Use the stuff below to glean from this some examples of cohorts in high-quality remnant habitats (use C-Value of the species). Orange is from FNA, Green is from Wikipedia article.'''

Dasiphora fruticosa (FNA authors: Barbara Jean Ertter (Ertter) ---Ertter, Barbara Jean (1953-) ---, James L. Reveal (Reveal) ---Reveal, James Lauritz (1941-2015) --):



Prunus pumila (FNA author: Joseph R. Rohrer (J.R.Rohrer) ---Rohrer, Joseph Raphael (1954-) ---):
 * Prunus pumila var. pumila
 * Prunus pumila var. susquehanae
 * Prunus pumila var. depressa
 * Prunus pumila var. besseyi

Salix myricoides (FNA author: George William Argus (Argus) ---Argus, George William (1929-2022) ---): -->
 * (from Salix myricoides)
 * (from Salix myricoides)

Sedges and grasses
Pringle's aster grows among many North American native sedges and grasses. Associate sedges include the Carex species C. aurea (golden sedge), C. buxbaumii (Buxbaum's sedge), C. richardsonii (Richardson's sedge), C. sterilis (dioecious sedge), C. stricta (upright sedge), C. tetanica (rigid sedge), and C. viridula (little green sedge). Other sedges include Cladium mariscoides (smooth sawgrass), Eleocharis elliptica (elliptic spikerush), Eleocharis rostellata (beaked spikerush), Rhynchospora capillacea (needle beaksedge), and Scleria verticillata (low nutrush). <!-- Carix treatment in FNA authors
 * Peter W. Ball, P.W.Ball, Peter William Ball (born 1932)
 * A. A. Reznicek, Anton Albert Reznicek, Reznicek (born 1950)


 * Carex aurea
 * Carex buxbaumii
 * Carex richardsonii
 * Carex sterilis
 * Carex stricta
 * Carex tetanica
 * Carex viridula

Cladium author in FNA
 * G.C.Tucker – Gordon C. Tucker (born 1957)
 * Cladium mariscoides

Eleocharis treatment in FNA authors:
 * S. Galen Smith, S.G.Sm. (1926–2015)
 * Jeremy J. Bruhl, Jeremy James Bruhl (born 1956) J.J.Bruhl
 * M. Socorro González-Elizondo; Maria del Socorro González-Elizondo, Maria Socorro González-Elizondo (born 1953) S.González
 * Francis J. Menapace; Menapace, F.J. (fl. 1986) Menapace


 * Eleocharis elliptica
 * Eleocharis rostellata

Rhynchospora FNA genus treatment by
 * Robert Kral (botanist) (born 1926) Kral


 * Rhynchospora capillacea

Scleria FNA genus authors
 * A. A. Reznicek ---Anton Albert Reznicek (born 1950) Reznicek
 * John E. Fairey III, John E. Fairey III, John Edwards Fairey III, John Edwards Fairey III Fairey (1940–2015)
 * Alan T. Whittemore, Whittem. (fl. 1988)


 * Scleria verticillata

Associate native grasses include Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Bromus ciliatus (fringed brome), Calamagrostis canadensis (bluejoint), Calamovilfa longifolia var. magna (prairie sandreed), Elymus canadensis (Canada wild rye), Muhlenbergia glomerata (spiked muhly), Panicum flexile (wiry panicgrass), Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass), and Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed).


 * Andropogon gerardii


 * Bromus ciliatus


 * Calamagrostis canadensis


 * Calamovilfa longifolia var. magna


 * Elymus canadensis


 * Muhlenbergia glomerata


 * Panicum flexile
 * Panicum virgatum


 * Schizachyrium scoparium


 * Sorghastrum nutans

-->
 * Sporobolus heterolepis

Flowering plants
S. pilosum var. pringlei can be with or near fellow native taxa of the tribe Astereae, including the goldenrods Solidago nemoralis subsp. decemflora (gray goldenrod), S. ohioensis (Ohio goldenrod), S. patula (roundleaf goldenrod), S. ptarmicoides (prairie goldenrod), S. riddellii (Riddell's goldenrod), as well as fellow American asters Doellingeria umbellata (tall flat-topped white aster) and Symphyotrichum dumosum (bushy aster).

Other companion flowering plants native to North America include Argentina anserina (silverweed), Artemisia campestris subsp. caudata (field sagewort), Cirsium muticum (swamp thistle), Coreopsis lanceolata (lance-leaved coreopsis), Euphorbia corollata (flowering spurge), Eutrochium maculatum (spotted joe-pyeweed), Helianthus giganteus (giant sunflower), Helianthus occidentalis (fewleaf sunflower), Hypericum kalmianum (Kalm's St. Johns wort), Liatris aspera (rough blazing star), Liatris cylindracea (barrelhead blazing star), Liatris pycnostachya (prairie blazing star), Lithospermum caroliniense var. croceum (hairy puccoon), Lithospermum incisum (fringed puccoon), Oenothera clelandii (Cleland's evening primrose), Oxypolis rigidior (cowbane), Pedicularis lanceolata (swamp lousewort), Polygonum tenue (slender knotweed), Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan), Sabatia angularis (rosepink), and Zizia aurea (golden alexanders).

Birds
During the cold months, seeds from plants in the Symphyotrichum genus are food to small, seed-eating, native North American birds such as American goldfinches (Spinus tristis), American tree sparrows (Spizelloides arborea), black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus), pine siskins (Spinus pinus), and song sparrows (Melospiza melodia). The American tree sparrow and the American goldfinch will grasp the upper branches and shake them by strongly fluttering their wings so that the seeds will fall to the ground.

Bees
The flower heads of S. pilosum are visited by many bee species during daylight hours. Females of Melissodes druriella (Drury's long-horned bee) and the mining bee Pseudopanurgus compositarum are oligoleges (specialized bee pollinators) of the short florets of late-season blooming species in the Asteraceae family and can be found frequenting this plant. Symphyotrichum species flowers are attractive to other specialized bees, including Andrena asteris (aster miner), Andrena asteroides, Andrena hirticincta (hairy-banded andrena), Andrena nubecula (cloudy-winged miner bee), Andrena placata (peaceful miner bee), Andrena simplex (simple miner bee), and Colletes simulans (spine-shouldered cellophane bee).

Flower visitors of S. pilosum also include the introduced Apis mellifera (western honey bee) and many bees native to North America, including Augochlorella aurata (golden green sweat bee); Bombus impatiens (common eastern bumblebee); small carpenter bees of genus Ceratina, including C. calcarata, C. dupla, and C. strenua; the sweat bees Halictus ligatus (ligated furrow bee) and Lasioglossum ephialtum (nightmarish metallic-sweat bee); and, the large Xylocopa virginica (eastern carpenter bee). Visitations by the wasp Polistes fuscatus (northern paper wasp) occur but not regularly.

https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/?interactionType=interactsWith&sourceTaxon=Symphyotrichum%20pilosum


 * see GLoBi spreadsheet which includes Lasioglossum cressonii; this file Lasioglossum cressonii 77145399.jpg is that insect on one of the white Symphyotrichums, but I can't tell which one
 * same with Lasioglossum zephyrus 164067925.jpg

Flies
Many fly species visit the flower heads of S. pilosum during the day, including the North American natives Eristalis dimidiata (black-shouldered drone fly), Helophilus fasciatus (narrow-headed marsh fly), and Toxomerus marginatus (margined calligrapher fly); and, the introduced Eristalis arbustorum (European drone fly) and Eristalis tenax (common drone fly).

isn't there something about nectar??


 * NEED MUCH MORE TEXT HERE; HOPE I CAN FIND SOMETHING on Hover flies and Symphyotrichum or better yet, S. pilosum******


 * NEED MUCH MORE TEXT HERE; HOPE I CAN FIND SOMETHING on Tachinid flies and Blow flies and Symphyotrichum or better yet, S. pilosum******

Butterflies
Pearl crescent: gets nectar from asters too Nectarivory

From HOSTS: pearl crescent butterfly Phyciodes tharos
 * https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/search/list.dsml?searchPageURL=index.dsml&Familyqtype=starts+with&Family=&PFamilyqtype=starts+with&PFamily=&Genusqtype=starts+with&Genus=&PGenusqtype=starts+with&PGenus=Aster&PSpeciesqtype=starts+with&PSpecies=pilosus
 * archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221110080742/https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/search/list.dsml?searchPageURL=index.dsml&Familyqtype=starts+with&Family=&PFamilyqtype=starts+with&PFamily=&Genusqtype=starts+with&Genus=&PGenusqtype=starts+with&PGenus=Aster&PSpeciesqtype=starts+with&PSpecies=pilosus
 * https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/index.html
 * Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosts.

Beetles and true bugs
Nectarivory W&R p. 1095 beetles from Symphyotrichum: nectar:
 * Chauliognathus pensylvanicus (goldenrod soldier beetle)
 * Diabrotica cristata (black diabrotica)
 * Epicauta pennsylvanica (black blister beetle)
 * Olibrus semistriatus (a shining flower beetle)




 * Myochrous denticollis (southern corn leaf beetle)
 * page 341: Symphyotrichum pilosum (Willd.) Nesom (Asteraceae) --- Myochrous denticollis (Say)
 * in Clark, S.M., D.G. LeDoux, T.N. Seeno, E.G. Riley, A.J. Gilbert & J.M. Sullivan. 2004. Host plants of leaf beetle species occurring in the United States and Canada (Coleoptera: Megalopodidae, Orsodacnidae, Chrysomelidae exclusive of Bruchinae). Coleopterists Society, Special Publication no. 2
 * url = https://www.coleopsoc.org/publications/special-publications/special-publication-no-2/
 * archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221208080258/https://www.coleopsoc.org/publications/special-publications/special-publication-no-2/
 * url-status = live
 * archive-date = 8 December 2022
 * access-date = 8 December 2022
 * title = Host plants of leaf beetle species occurring in the United States and Canada (Coleoptera: Megalopodidae, Orsodacnidae, Chrysomelidae, excluding Bruchinae)
 * Shawn M. Clark, Douglas G. LeDoux, Terry N. Seeno, Edward G. Riley, Arthur L. Gilbert, and James M. Sullivan; Special Publication No. 2; Chris Carlton, Editor; The Coleopterists Society; 3294 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, CA 95832-1448; 2004

Ants
W&R p. 1095 ants from Symphyotrichum treatment: nectar:
 * Formica incerta - ant (no common name) - nectar
 * Formica pallidefulva - ant (no common name) - nectar
 * Formica subsericea - ant (black field ant, but need a source for that) - nectar

Monomorium minimum (little black ant)

Midges
midge nesting causes damage to the plant [but I don't think it's recurrent each season unless the midges are... find that out]

Insectivores
Insectivory

Allelopathy
find stuff here (cite journal already in reference section):
 * Jackson, J.R.; Willemsen, R.W. (1 August 1976). "Allelopathy in the first stage of secondary succession on the piedmont of New Jersey". American Journal of Botany. St. Louis, Missouri: Botanical Society of America. 63 (7): 1015–1023. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1976.tb13184.x.

Conservation
NatureServe lists the species and its varieties with various conservation statuses, and some states and provinces within range do not have statuses. , S. pilosum was listed as Globally Secure (G5); and, State Secure (S5) in Ontario, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

S. pilosum var. pilosum was listed as a Globally Secure Variety (T5); Secure (S5) in Ontario, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia; and, Vulnerable (S3) in Québec and Minnesota. S. pilosum var. pringlei also was listed as a Globally Secure Variety (T5); Secure (S5) in Delaware, New Jersey, and Virginia; Apparently Secure (S4) in Ontario and New York; Vulnerable (S3) in Minnesota; Imperiled (S2) in Québec and West Virginia; and, Critically Imperiled (S1) in Arkansas. The global statuses were last reviewed in 2016.

Medicinal
NOTHING LISTED IN THE NAEB DB; TRY AGAIN

I ALSO HAVE A BOOK

Cut flower industry
Because of its ability to produce hybrid swarms, S. pilosum can produce hybrids that then may interbreed with other hybrid individuals and backcross with their parent species. This has made it valuable to the cut flower industry.

Gardening
The name Aster ericoides has been used incorrectly to represent Symphyotrichum pilosum (and Aster pilosus) in published floras and the horticultural industry.

Picton may, check RHS of course...

Cultivars


Because of its ability to produce hybrid swarms, S. pilosum breeding can produce hybrids that can interbreed with other hybrid individuals and backcross with their parent species. This has made it valuable to the cultivar industry. There are several S. pilosum cultivars available ..............

Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei and its cultivar 'Ochtendgloren' have both won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

NEED TO PERUSE RHS and any other places; INCLUDE Ch&S discussion of cultivation as well as check in S&H&B 2002; may be something in Picton 1999.

Picton p. 99–100 as Aster pringlei: 'Monte Cassino' (most frequently grown, p. 99), 'Phoebe' and 'Pink Cushion'

also of pringlei: 'October Glory' RHS; and there are pages for the others on RHS (if they will all ever load)


 * https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/340709/symphyotrichum-pilosum-var-pringlei/details
 * https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/368446/symphyotrichum-pilosum-var-pringlei-double-flowered-(d)/details


 * https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/340668/symphyotrichum-pilosum-var-pringlei-monte-cassino/details
 * https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantcollections/plantfinder/symphyotrichum_pilosum_var_pringlei_monte_cassino--monte_cassino


 * https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/340829/symphyotrichum-ochtendgloren-(pilosum-var-pringlei-hybrid)/details
 * https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/340787/symphyotrichum-pilosum-var-pringlei-october-glory/details
 * https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/340788/symphyotrichum-pilosum-var-pringlei-phoebe/details
 * https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/340789/symphyotrichum-pilosum-var-pringlei-pink-cushion/details