Aster breweri
Perennial herb in Asteraceae native to California and Nevada, 10–100 cm tall with glabrate or woolly stems and linear-lanceolate to ovate leaves, bearing heads in racemiform to paniculiform arrays without ray florets, flowering July–September in Sierra Nevada open coniferous forests and subalpine meadows at 1500–3500 m.
Common Names
Brewer's Aster
Summary
Brewer's aster is a perennial herb native to California and Nevada, forming an upright plant with stems ascending to erect and reaching 10–100 cm tall. It grows in open coniferous forests and subalpine meadows at elevations of 1500–3500 m, notably in the Sierra Nevada. Flower heads are yellow and consist of disc florets only (no ray florets), arranged in 1–15 heads per inflorescence in racemiform to corymbiform/paniculiform arrays, blooming from July to September.
Native range includes California and Nevada, with Sierra Nevada distribution, and some specimens at the northern range edge may intergrade with related taxa. Practical considerations reflect subalpine habitat preferences, with an elevational range of 1500–3500 m and a July–September flowering window featuring yellow disc florets.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
4 inches-3.5 feet
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Soil Type
Well-draining, organic-matter-rich soil with drainage added by perlite or vermiculite.
Soil Drainage
Well-draining soil, add organic matter (coco coir) and drainage enhancers (perlite or vermiculite).
Bloom Color
Purple, Yellow
Bloom Time
Summer
Growth Rate
Unknown
Seasons of Interest
Summer and Fall
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (A.Gray) Semple
- Publication
- Syst. Bot. 13(4): 545. 1988
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asterales
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Subfamily
- Asteroideae
- Tribe
- Astereae
- Subtribe
- Asterinae
- Genus
- Aster