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Symphyotrichum adnatum (formerly Aster adnatus) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to the southeastern United States and the Bahamas. Commonly known as scaleleaf aster, it is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach 30 to 120 cm tall. Its flowers, which open October–December, have light to dark lavender ray florets and yellow disk florets.

Description
Symphyotrichum adnatum is a clump-forming perennial and herbaceous plant that blooms October–December. Usually it is between 30 and 120 cm tall. It is cespitose, growing in clumps, and with several erect to sprawling somewhat hairy stems branching from the middle. The upper leaves and parts of the flower heads are covered with tiny glands on tiny stalks (stipitate glands). Its flowers have light to dark lavender ray florets and yellow disk florets.

closest relative is S. walteri

Involucres and phyllaries
Bell-shapped involucres 4–6.5 mm long

Florets
Ray florets   color: "light to dark lavender"    count: 10–20    length: 5–8 mm    width: 0.5–1.5 mm

Disk florets   color: yellow    count: 12–25

Fruit
The fruits of Symphyotrichum adnatum are seeds, not true achenes but are cypselae, resembling an achene but surrounded by a calyx sheath. This is true for all members of the Asteraceae family. After pollination and hardening, scaleleaf aster seeds become tan to brown with an obovoid shape, are uncompressed, and are 2–2.5 mm long with 6–10 faintly visible nerves. They also have tufts of hairs (pappi) which are tan and 3.75–8 mm in length.

Chromosomes
S. adnatum is tetraploid with a total chromosome count of 20. It has a monoploid number (also called "base number") of five chromosomes

History and classification
Unidentified specimens that were in the herbarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia were studied by Thomas Nuttall and published in 1834 in the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. He named this species Aster adnatus and described it as follows: Scaber, microphyllus, foliis, cordato-oblongis acutis integris supra medium cauli adnatus, radicalibus oblongis, ramis elongatis subunifloris.

A species nearly related to A. squarrosus, but extremely remarkable for the disposition of the leaves which are very minute, near together, and adnate by their upper surfaces, more than half their length, to the sides of the stem and branches.

Hab. In Alabama and West Florida. Common. A specimen was designated as the probable holotype of Aster adnatus by American botanist Almut Gitter Jones in 1982, followed by confirmation by botanist John C. Semple in 1984. It is now stored at the Natural History Museum, London.


 * Subgenus Virgulus
 * Section Patentes (Torr. & A.Gray) G.L.Nesom
 * Subsection Brachyphylli (Torr. & A.Gray) G.L.Nesom

S. adnatum (Nutt.) G.L.Nesom Basionym: Aster adnatus Described: 1834

Species classification

Etymology
adnate — the leaf bases are adnate to the stem

Distribution and habitat
Found in the Bahamas in ... and where ... and by whom ... and publication info on that. POWO and COL have Bahamas as a location ... FNA does not ... Weakley does.

Bahamas; US — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Nearly all on the Gulf of Mexico coast

Bahamian pineyards, Everglades

"oak-pine scrub, open pine flatwoods, roadsides"

S. adnatum grows in longleaf pine ecosystems, flatwoods, sandhill ecological communities, pine rocklands, and Florida sand pine scrub at 0–100 m. It is categorized on the United States National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) with the Wetland Indicator Status Rating of Facultative Wetland (FACW), meaning it usually occurs in wetlands.

Ecology
C-vals: 7–8

Conservation
, NatureServe lists Symphyotrichum adnatum as Apparently Secure (G4) worldwide with no individual state rankings. The global status was last updated 2 May 1988.