About Symphyotrichum kentuckiense (Britton) Medley
Symphyotrichum kentuckiense is a rare perennial herbaceous plant endemic to parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee in the southeastern United States. It grows from a cespitose rootstock to heights between 30 centimeters (1 foot) and 100 centimeters (3.3 feet), and flowers from August through October. Its rootstock has short, branched underground caudices and no rhizomes. This species is endemic to this limited range in the southeastern United States. The hybrid S. × priceae has only been documented in Kentucky. S. kentuckiense grows in four specific EPA Ecoregions: the Appalachian Mountain ecoregions of Ridge and Valley (67) and Southwestern Appalachians (68), and the Interior Plateau ecoregions of Interior Low Plateaus (71) and Interior River Valleys and Hills (72). It grows in breaks or cracks in limestone cedar glades or on limestone roadsides, and occurs in dry soil at elevations between 200 and 400 meters (660 to 1,310 feet). It is listed on the United States National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) with a wetland indicator status rating of Facultative Upland (FACU) for the Eastern Mountains and Piedmont region (EMP). This rating indicates that the species usually grows in non-wetlands within its range, but may occasionally be found in wetlands. For Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA), S. kentuckiense has coefficients of conservatism (C-values) of 7 and 8, depending on the evaluation region. Higher C-values correspond to lower tolerance for disturbance, and a higher likelihood that the species is growing in a presettlement natural community. In the Appalachian Mountain EPA Ecoregions 67 and 68, this species has a C-value of 7. In the Interior Plateau EPA Ecoregions 71 and 72, its C-value is 8. Both C-values indicate that its populations occur in high-quality remnant natural areas with little environmental degradation, though the species can tolerate some periodic disturbance.
