Symphyotrichum ×amethystinum

Amethyst Aster

Symphyotrichum ×amethystinum (Nutt.) G.L. Nesom is the F1 hybrid between S. ericoides (2n=10) and S. novae-angliae (2n=10).  It was first described as the separate species Aster amethystinus Nutt. long before it was recognized to just be a hybrid between two very distinct parental species (Brouillet et al. 2006 FNA).  The hybrid is morphologically intermediate in most traits between the two parents.  It occurs at scattered locations where the ranges of the two parent species are sympatric.