Aster paternus Cronquist
Conyza asteroides L.
Sericocarpus asteroides (L.) Britton Sterns & Poggenb.
Toothed white-topped aster
The toothed white-topped aster is a North American native.
Plants: As asters go (there are zillions of different kinds), these are sort of disheveled-looking, at least the ones I’ve seen. I don’t mean to pick on them, but they are easy to overlook at first. Toothed white-topped asters are 6–26″ (14–65 cm) tall, with stems covered with soft, downy hairs.
Leaves: Roughly oval-shaped, smooth-edged toward the bottom, rounded toward the tip of each leaf.
Flowers: Each flower consists of a central disk flower that is off-white, and four to eight white petals that form the ray flower. Flowerheads are ½″ (1.3 cm) across, occurring in small clusters. They flower between June and October.
Fruits: The tip of the fruit has dense silky hairs which are pale red to red-brown or purple.
Habitats: Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), grassland, woodlands.
Online References:
References:
Aster asteroides (L.) MacMill.
Aster paternus Cronquist
Conyza asteroides L.
Aster paternus Cronquist
Conyza asteroides L.
7/31/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 4½″ (10 × 11 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
7/31/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (12 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/31/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/31/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (11 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/31/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 9″ (18 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Sericocarpus | From the Greek serikos, “silky,” and karpos, “fruit” |
| Species | asteroides | Resembling the aster |
Sericocarpus asteroides description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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