Symphyotrichum (foliaceum)

jtrindle USDA NRCS - Corvallis Plant Materials Center 3415 NE Granger Ave Corvallis, Oregon 58413 (541)757-4812 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/orpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Asteraceae
Family Common Name:	Composites
Scientific Name:	Symphyotrichum foliaceum (DC.) Nesom
Common Synonym:	Aster foliaceus Lindl. ex DC.
Common Name:	Leafybract aster
Species Code:	SYFOF
Ecotype:	Mt Rainier National Park; 3700 to 4900 feet elev; along highway 410
General Distribution:	Alaska, Montana, and Washington; moist places at moderate to high elevations (elevation decreases in more northern latitudes); moist meadows and seeps
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	1-year plugs (10
Time To Grow:	0
Target Specifications:	Single healthy crown; roots well-established.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds hand-collected by pinching off mature heads in late August and early September at Mt Rainier; fairly slow as plants were thinly scattered in native stands. In most collection years moderate to heavy insect predation was apparent. X-ray examination of test lots showed up to 17% of seed was empty, and others showed signs of insect damage.
Propagule Processing:	Mothballs placed in paper sacks containing seed heads seemed to help drive off thrips and other insect pests, protecting seed from further predation while drying. Open sacks dried on warm, dry greenhouse bench. Heads first gently rubbed to remove fuzz; then scalped with office clipper, 1/!4 to 1/16" screen and low air flow to remove debris.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	none
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	3 to 5 seed sown into Ray Leach SC-10 super cells filled with Fisons Sunshine #1 potting mix, amended with 3-month slow-release Osmocote NPK fertilizer and small amounts of Micromax trace elements. Placed into greenhouse at moderate temperatures.
Establishment Phase:	No special procedures needed, emergence was rated as "fair"
Length of Establishment Phase:	6 to 8 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Plants thinned to one per cone when needed. No special procedures needed during 1st growing season.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	May through June at Corvallis PMC
Hardening Phase:	plants remained in cones and were removed to a shadehouse to overwinter at Corvallis. No special procedures needed.
Length of Hardening Phase:	1 month
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Cones can be shipped in fall or early spring to be transplanted before active crown growth starts
Length of Storage:	6 to 8 months
Other Comments:	A small test plot at Corvallis PMC did produce some seed, but plants were not as vigorous as native stands, and very little seed was produced this way. Weed competition was a serious problem; there are no selective herbicides available to keep broadleaf weeds at bay. Seed maturity was much earlier (June to early July) at the PMC and seeds ripened unevenly. Some of the refererences given below refer to this plant by its older name of Aster foliaceous.
References:	Corvallis Plant Materials Center Technical Report: Plants for Woodland and Rangeland Reclamation and Erosion Control 1980 - 1997 (includes Annual Reports to Mount Rainier National Park from 1990 - 1996 Flora of the Pacific Northwest, C. L. Hitchcock and A. Cronquist, University of Washington Press, 1973. Link, Ellen, ed. 1993 Native Plant Propagation Techniques for National Parks Interim Guide; Compiled by Rose Lake Plant Materials Center 7472 Stoll Road East Lansing, MI 48823 USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Citation:

Flessner, Theresa R; Trindle, Joan D.C.. 2003. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Symphyotrichum foliaceum (DC.) Nesom plants 1-year plugs (10; USDA NRCS - Corvallis Plant Materials Center Corvallis, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/05/06). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.