WHERE HAVE ALL OUR ASTERS GONE?

VERNON L. HARMS

#212-115 Keevil Crescent

Saskatoon, SK S7N 4P2

[published as: Harms, Vernon L. 2002. Where have all our Asters gone? Blue Jay 60(3): 151-152].

Where have all our asters gone? Well the plants are still here, but their scientific names have been changed. Modern taxonomists no longer place any of Saskatchewan’s 16 native aster species into the genus, Aster, as previously, but have reclassified them into five different genera, although mostly under Symphyotrichum. Numerous plant taxonomic revisions and name changes have recently been made, mostly associated with the ongoing Flora of North America (FNA) Project and John Kartesz’ Biota of North America Project (BONAP).² Changes for many plants of the Saskatoon area were given in my recent on the flora of Peturrson Ravine, article in the September 2001 Blue Jay.¹ As a non-expert on Aster nomenclature, I will not try to discuss the reasons, or pros and cons, regarding the innovations. Suffice it to say that they are generally accepted and will likely be reflected in future floral manuals.

The scientific name changes for our Saskatchewan asters are briefly summarized below:

Common Name Former Latin Name New Latin Name

Western or Ascending Aster Aster ascendens Symphyotrichum ascendens

Boreal or Bog Aster Aster borealis Symphyotrichum boreale

Rayless Aster Aster brachyactis Symphyotrichum ciliatum

Lindley’s Blue Aster Aster ciliolatus Symphyotrichum ciliolatum

Showy Aster Aster conspicuus Eurybia conspicua

Eaton’s Aster Aster eatonii Symphyotrichum eatonii

Tufted White Prairie Aster Aster ericoides Symphyotrichum ericoides

var. pansus var. pansum

Creeping White Prairie Aster Aster falcatus Symphyotrichum falcatum

var. commutatus var. commutatus

Western Willow Aster Aster hesperius Symphyotrichum lanceolatum

var. hesperium

Smooth Blue Aster Aster laevis Symphyotrichum laeve

Large Northern Aster Aster modestus Canadanthus modestus

Few-flowered Aster Aster pauciflorus Almutaster pauciflorus

Purple-stemmed Aster Aster puniceus Symphyotrichum puniceum

Eastern Willow Aster Aster simplex Symphyotrichum lanceolatum

var. lanceolatum

Flat-topped White Aster Aster umbellatus Doellingeria umbellata

var. pubens var. pubens

White Upland Aster Aster ptarmicoides Solidago ptarmicoides

So what does this really mean to the average naturalist? Not necessarily very much. The plants themselves remain unchanged, and we may continue to call them by the same common names as before. Scientific names have much value in “pinning down” exactly what actually is any particular plant that is being referred to, which is important because of the multiplicity and non-standardization of plant common names. The above summary of name changes for our “asters” may help readers to avoid confusion when confronted with different scientific names.

LITERATURE CITED

¹ Harms, V.L. 2001. Vascular plants of the Petursson Ravine area along the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon. Blue Jay 59(3): 134-152.

² Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A Synonymized Checklist and Atlas with Biological Attributes for the Vascular Flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First Edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC, U.S.A.