Belongs within: Astereae.
Aster is a Holarctic genus of composite-flowered herbs. Members include the Michaelmas daisy Aster amellus, a perennial species most commonly found in calcareous, rocky soils that has become widely grown as an ornamental. Aster frondosus is a North American annual with oblanceolate to elliptic leaves and obtuse to rounded phyllaries (Hickman 1993).
Characters (Hickman 1993): Annual or perennial from caudex or rhizome. Stem generally erect, 1–20 dm. Leaves basal, cauline, or both, alternate, generally entire; basally generally petioled. Inflorescence with heads generally radiate, solitary or in a cyme or panicle; involucre obconic to hemispheric; phyllaries in 2–6 series, outer generally smaller than inner, free, at least inner with pale, papery margins; receptacle more or less flat, naked. Ray florets 0–many; corolla violet to pink or white. Disk florets many; corolla and anthers generally yellow, tube generally narrower than throat; anther tips more or less triangular; style branches flat on inner face, base more or less warty, tip acute, hairy. Fruit generally rounded, more or less ribbed, more or less brown; pappus of bristles, white to brownish.
<==Aster
|--*A. amellus Linnaeus 1753P01, CD07
|--A. abbreviatusC55
|--A. ageratoidesMH98
|--A. albescensO88
|--A. alpigenusH93
| |--A. a. var. alpigenusH93
| `--A. a. var. andersoniiH93
|--A. alpinusH09
|--A. altaicusO88
|--A. ascendens [=A. adscendens]H93
|--A. asteroidesO88
|--A. barbellatusO88
|--A. bellidiflorusC55
|--A. bernardinusH93
|--A. breweri [=Chrysopsis breweri]H93
|--A. brickellioidesH93
|--A. brumalisC55
|--A. campestrisH93
|--A. canescensS72
|--A. chilensisH93
|--A. chinensisR00
|--A. concinnatusC55
|--A. diplostephioidesO88
|--A. dumosusC55
|--A. eatoniiH93
|--A. engelmanniiH93
|--A. falconeriO88
| |--A. f. ssp. falconeriO88
| `--A. f. ssp. nepalensisO88
|--A. flaccidusO88
|--A. foliaceusH93
| |--A. f. var. foliaceusH93
| |--A. f. var. lyalliiH93
| `--A. f. var. parryi [incl. A. foliaceus var. apricus]H93
|--A. frondosusH93
|--A. greatae [=A. greatai]H93
|--A. heliopsisO88
|--A. himalaicusO88
|--A. imbricatusC06
|--A. indamellusO88
|--A. integrifoliusH93
|--A. laevigatusC55
|--A. laevisC55
|--A. lanceolatusV09
| |--A. l. ssp. lanceolatusH93
| `--A. l. ssp. hesperiusH93
|--A. ledophyllusH93
|--A. lentus [=A. chilensis var. lentus; incl. A. chilensis var. sonomensis]H93
|--A. leucanthemusC55
|--A. mutabilisC55
|--A. novae-angliaeMS98
|--A. novi-belgiiC55
|--A. occidentalisH93
| |--A. o. var. occidentalis [incl. A. o. var. delectabilis, A. o. var. intermedius, A. o. var. parishii]H93
| `--A. o. var. yosemitanus [incl. A. paludicola]H93
|--A. oregonensis [incl. A. oregonensis ssp. californicus]H93
|--A. parviflorusC55
|--A. pauciflorusH93
|--A. peirsoniiH93
|--A. radulinusH93
|--A. rubricaulisC55
|--A. salicifoliusC55
|--A. scopulorumH93
|--A. squamatusY98
|--A. stracheyiO88
|--A. subulatusBR65
| |--A. s. var. subulatusH93
| `--A. s. var. ligulatusH93
|--A. tanacetifoliusBT72
|--A. tricephalusO88
|--A. tripoliumCS77
`--A. versicolorC55
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[BT72] Baker, E. W., & D. M. Tuttle. 1972. New species and further notes on the Tetranychoidea mostly from the southwestern United States (Acarina: Tetranychidae and Tenuipalpidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 116: 1–37.
[BR65] Black, J. M., & E. L. Robertson. 1965. Flora of South Australia. Part IV. Oleaceae–Compositae. W. L. Hawes, Government Printer: Adelaide.
[C55] Candolle, A. de. 1855. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 2. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.
[CD07] Cantino, P. D., J. A. Doyle, S. W. Graham, W. S. Judd, R. G. Olmstead, D. E. Soltis, P. S. Soltis & M. J. Donoghue. 2007. Towards a phylogenetic nomenclature of Tracheophyta. Taxon 56 (3): E1–E44.
[C06] Cheeseman, T. F. 1906. Manual of the New Zealand Flora. John Mackay, Government Printer: Wellington.
[CS77] Cramp, S., & K. E. L. Simmons (eds) 1977. Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palaearctic vol. 1. Ostrich to Ducks. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
[H09] Heltmann, H. 2009. Der Königstein (Piatra Craiului), die Perle der Burzenländer Gebirge. Mauritiana 20 (3): 515–527.
[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).
[MS98] Margulis, L., & K. V. Schwartz. 1998. Five Kingdoms: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth 3rd ed. W. H. Freeman and Company: New York.
[MH98] Morikawa, H., A. Higaki, M. Nohno, M. Takahashi, M. Kamada, M. Nakata, G. Toyohara, Y. Okamura, K. Matsui, S. Kitani, K. Fujita, K. Irifune & N. Goshima. 1998. More than a 600-fold variation in nitrogen dioxide assimilation among 217 plant taxa. Plant, Cell and Environment 21: 180–190.
[O88] Ohba, H. 1988. The alpine flora of the Nepal Himalayas: an introductory note. In: Ohba, H., & S. B. Malla (eds) The Himalayan Plants vol. 1. The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 19–46.
[P01] Pennisi, E. 2001. Linnaeus’s last stand? Science 291: 2304–2307.
[R00] Ramond, C. 1800. Suite des plantes inédites des Hautes-Pyrénées. Bulletin des Sciences, par la Societé Philomathique de Paris 2 (42): 140–141.
[S72] Shields, O. 1972. Flower visitation records for butterflies (Lepidoptera). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 48 (3): 189–203.
[V09] Verdcourt, B. (ed.) 2009. Additions to the wild fauna and flora of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. XXVI. Miscellaneous records. Kew Bulletin 64 (1): 183–194.
[Y98] Yannitsaros, A. 1998. Additions to the flora of Kithira (Greece) I. Willdenowia 28: 77–94.