Symphyotrichum subulatum var. subulatum(eastern annual saltmarsh aster, "Hokigiku")
Japanese name: ホウキギク（箒菊） Scientific name:Symphyotrichum subulatum var. subulatum
[Overview]
An annual or biennial about 1 m tall, found on slightly moist roadsides, wasteland and similar places.
The stem is erect, and the branches spread at an angle of 30–50 degrees.
There are basal leaves and stem leaves; the basal leaves often remain even at flowering time.
The stem leaves are simple and alternate, linear, 6–10 cm long, and glossy.
The leaf margins are entire or indistinctly toothed.
Many flower heads are borne at the stem tip.
The flower heads consist of ray florets and tubular florets.
The ray florets are white to pale pink and short.
The tubular florets are shorter than the pappus and inconspicuous.
The pappus grows longer after flowering.
The fruit is an achene with a pappus.
[History]
It was found on the banks of the Yodo River in Osaka around 1910 and has since become naturalized in various places.
