8603 Aster L.
- L., Sp. Pl.: 872 (1753).
- Aster subg. Aster.
- Aster sect. Alpigeni Nees, Gen. Sp. Aster.: 24 (1832).
Notes: Aster in its traditional, wide meaning is paraphyletic or polyphyletic and probably impossible to retain as one, large genus, as stated by numerous authors (see especially Nesom 1994 and references therein). It must either be extended enormously to include, e.g., the Bellis group of genera, Erigeron, Conyza, and perhaps even Solidago, or it must be split. There are, however, arguments against this view (Jones 1982). Molecular studies (Semple et al. 2001) largely support Nesom's classification. The authors of Flora of North America recognize the segregate genera and we follow them. The arctic taxa previously named Aster then belong to four genera in three groups (according to Nesom 1994 and elsewhere): the Aster group with Aster s. str. (the type of the genus is Aster amellus L.), the Galatella group with Tripolium, and the Eurybia group with Eurybia and Symphyotrichum. There may, however, still be delimitation problems between Eurybia and Symphyotrichum, see S. yukonensis below.
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Source: Plugwash at Wikispecies
Higher Taxa
- Asteraceae [86,family]