Single Record
Participant Info
- Species
- Symphyotrichum ascendens [Aster ascendens] [Aster vallidola] [Aster chilensis subsp. ascendens]
- Family
- Asteraceae
- CommonName
- western aster
- Presence
- YES
- Status
- native
- EarliestDate
- 1914
- LatestDate
- 2020
- Ecosystem
- basin, foothill, montane, ruderal, urban
- Geobotanical
- SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos, UBasin, LBasin
- Counties
- Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache
- Passes
- WildlifePreserves
- Baca, Great Sand Dunes
- Other Localities
- Alamosa (town), Del Norte
- PhotoRecords
- YES Rich Haswell: Saguache Co, Saguache city park 8 Sept 2014; Rio Grande Co, Del Norte yard 29 Aug 2019
- Comments
- Western aster is common throughout all the Watershed, from Basin to montane. It has often moved from its native habitat of wet meadows and canyons to towns (Del Norte, Alamosa, and Saguache, for sure), in lawns and vacant lots. Symphyotrichum is a hybrid of S. spathulatum and S. falcatum, with further backcrossing with parents and other species (see Ackerfield). In lawns and street sides, it assumes a stunted form from mowing, even more difficult to identify. It is present in all Western states, but does not enter the Great Plains or farther east. It is present in the Rio Grande drainage down through New Mexico to Otero Co but does not enter Texas.
- Annotation