Sericocarpus asteroides

Toothed White-topped Aster

Sericocarpus asteroides (L.) Nees is the most widely distributed species of the genus occurring on dry sandy, clay, and shaley open soils in fields and open mixed and pine woods, road margins, eastern deciduous forest from Massachusetts west to Ohio and south to western Florida and southern Mississippi.  Collections of S. asteroides purportedly from Indiana and Wisconsin are of questionable provenance or chance introductions.  The species is distinguished from others in the field by its serrate basal rosette and lower stem leaves; the upper stem leaves are sometimes entire (Semple and Leonard 2006 FNA). The species is diploid (2n=18).

The species has been known under the following synonyms: Conyza asteroides L., Aster asteroides (L.) MacMillan; A. paternus Cronquist.