Symphyotrichum yukonense

Yukon Aster

Symphyotrichum yukonense (Cronquist) G.L. Nesom is native to mud flats, gravelly, stony or silty lakeshores, sometimes saline areas in disjunct areas on the John River in the southern Brooks Rangein Alaska, Lake Kluane in the Yukon, and the Mackenzie Mountains and middle Mackenzie River of the Northwest Territories (Brouillet et al. 2006 FNA).  The species is distinguished by its erect 5–30 cm tall stipitate-glandular stems, linear to linear-lanceolate sparsely strigose leaves, the upper ones ± stipitate-glandular, 1–3(–6) heads in open, corymbo-paniculiform arrays, ± densely short-villous ± glandular peduncles and outer foliaceous phyllaries that are villous and stipitate-glandular.  The species is diploid (2n=10).

It appears closely related to S. pygmaeum.  The species is of conservation concern.  The U. of Alaska (Alaska Rare Plant Field Guide) has posted a useful summary pdf.