三脉紫菀 san mai zi wan

Aster ageratoides Turczaninow, Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 10(7): 154. 1837.

Stems erect, 40-100 cm tall, slender or thick, branched, strigose. Leaves papery (thin, sometimes rather thick); blade broadly ovate, elliptic, or oblong-lanceolate, abaxially puberulent, veins strigose, adaxially strigose, often glandular, or both surfaces tomentulose, 3-veined above base (triplinerved), base attenuate. Involucres 4-10 mm in diam.; phyllary apex green or purple-brown. Ray florets purple, reddish, or white.

Forests, forest margins, thickets, wet places in valleys; 100-3400 m. Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, NE India, Japan, Korea, N Myanmar, Nepal, E Russia, N Thailand, Vietnam].

Some of the varieties listed here under Aster trinervius subsp. ageratoides have available names under A. trinervius, while others do not. In view of the fact that all of the varieties have names under A. ageratoides, those names are used here in preference to publishing new combinations, pending the necessary thorough investigation mentioned above.

Aster ageratoides var. ageratoides

三脉紫菀(原变种) san mai zi wan (yuan bian zhong)

Aster adustus (Maximowicz) Koidzumi ex Nakai; A. ageratoides f. adustus (Maximowicz) Zdorovjeva; A. ageratoides var. adustus Maximowicz; A. quelpaertensis H. Léveillé & Vaniot; A. trinervius Roxburgh ex D. Don var. adustus (Maximowicz) Franchet & Savatier; A. trinervius var. potaninii Diels; A. trinervius var. rosthornii Diels.

Leaves oblong-lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, thin, adaxially densely strigose, abaxially sparsely hairy or glabrous, veins ± hairy, slightly glandular, margin coarsely serrate. Involucres 5-7 × 6-10 mm, apex purple-brown. Ray florets purple or red.

S Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, E Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, W Sichuan, NW Yunnan [Korea, Russia (E Siberia)].

Aster ageratoides var. firmus (Diels) Handel-Mazzetti, Acta Horti Gothob. 12: 215. 1938.

坚叶三脉紫菀 jian ye san mai zi wan

Aster trinervius var. firmus Diels, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 29: 610. 1901 ["firma"].

Leaves ovate or oblong-lanceolate, thickly papery, abaxially long rough hairy on veins, veins conspicuously reticulate, adaxially densely strigose, glabrescent, often lucid, areoles foamy. Ray florets white or tinged red.

N Anhui, W Hunan, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, N Yunnan [S Himalayan region].

Aster ageratoides var. gerlachii (Hance) C. C. Chang ex Y. Ling, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 74: 163. 1985.

狭叶三脉紫菀 xia ye san mai zi wan

Aster gerlachii Hance, J. Bot. 18: 262. 1880; A. curvatus Vaniot.

Stems strigose in upper part. Leaves linear-lanceolate, 5-8 × 0.7-1 cm, abaxially subglabrous, adaxially sparsely rough hairy, base attenuate, margin shallowly serrate, apex acuminate. Phyllary apex green. Ray florets white. 2n = 36*.

● Guangdong, Guizhou, Hubei.

Aster ageratoides var. holophyllus Maximowicz, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg Divers Savans 9: 144. 1859.

异叶三脉紫菀 yi ye san mai zi wan

Aster nigrescens Vaniot.

Stems multibranched. Middle leaves oblong-lanceolate, margin roughly serrate, upper leaves smaller, margin often entire. Phyllaries narrow, apex green, often ?brown mucronate.

● S Gansu, Hebei, NW Hubei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, N Yunnan.

Aster ageratoides var. lasiocladus (Hayata) Handel-Mazzetti, Acta Horti Gothob. 12: 215. 1938.

毛枝三脉紫菀 mao zhi san mai zi wan

Aster lasiocladus Hayata, Icon. Pl. Formosan. 8: 49. 1919; A. ageratoides subsp. lasiocladus (Hayata) Kitamura; A. trinervius var. lasiocladus (Hayata) Yamamoto.

Stems yellow-brown or gray tomentose. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, often smaller, 4-8 × 1-3 cm, thick, adaxially densely strigose, or densely tomentose, veins often rough hairy, margin shallowly dentate, apex obtuse or acute. Phyllaries thick, densely tomentose. Ray florets white.

● Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Taiwan, SE Yunnan.

This variety is easy to distinguish from other varieties of Aster trinervius subsp. ageratoides and appears closer to A. trinervius subsp. trinervius, but the latter has thicker leaves and is more densely tomentose.

This plant is used medicinally for treating common colds and headaches, osteodynia, and snakebites.

Aster ageratoides var. laticorymbus (Vaniot) Handel-Mazzetti, Acta Horti Gothob. 12: 214. 1938.

宽伞三脉紫菀 kuan san san mai zi wan

Aster laticorymbus Vaniot, Bull. Acad. Int. Géogr. Bot. 12: 494. 1903.

Stems multibranched. Middle leaves oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, abaxially often glabrescent, base attenuate, margin with 7- or 8-paired serrae, upper leaves ovate or lanceolate, small, margin entire or toothed. Phyllaries narrow, apex green. Ray florets often white. 2n = 18*, 36*, 54*.

● Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan.

Aster ageratoides var. leiophyllus (Franchet & Savatier) Y. Ling, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 74: 164. 1985.

光叶三脉紫菀 guang ye san mai zi wan

Aster leiophyllus Franchet & Savatier, Enum. Pl. Jap. 1: 223. 1875; A. ageratoides f. leucanthus Kitamura; A. ageratoides subsp. leiophyllus (Franchet & Savatier) Kitamura.

Leaves oblong-lanceolate, abaxially with short rough hairs on veins, adaxially ± strigose, base abruptly narrowed, sessile or shortly petiolate, margin densely acute-serrate, apex long acuminate. Capitula small, slender pedunculate. Involucre obconic when dry, ca. 4 × 5-6 mm; phyllary apex obtuse, apically brown. Ray florets white. Pappus white or red-brown. 2n = 18, 18+1-3B, 27, 34, 36+0-4B, 37, 54, 81.

Taiwan [Japan].

Aster ageratoides var. micranthus Y. Ling, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 74: 356. 1985.

小花三脉紫菀 xiao hua san mai zi wan

Stems 60-100 cm tall, slender, multibranched. Leaves linear-lanceolate, thinly papery, subglabrous on both surfaces, areoles adaxially ± foamy; middle leaves 6-17 × 0.4-1.5 cm, margin sparsely shallowly toothed or subentire. Capitula small, in axillary and terminal corymbs; peduncle slender. Involucre 3-4 × 4-5 mm; phyllaries thin, apex purple-brown or green. Ray florets white, linear, 4-5 mm; disk florets and pappus ca. 4 mm. 2n = 18*.

● Forests, thickets. Sichuan.

Aster ageratoides var. oophyllus Y. Ling, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 74: 161. 1985.

卵叶三脉紫菀 luan ye san mai zi wan

Aster blinii H. Léveillé, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 13: 344. 1914.

Leaves ovate and ovate-lanceolate, rather thick, abaxially sparsely hairy, adaxially strigose, margin shallowly serrate. Phyllaries reddish at apex. Ray florets reddish or white.

● Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan; rarely seen in N China.

Y. Ling published Aster ageratoides var. oophyllus as a "nom. nov." based on A. ageratoides var. ovatus (Franchet & Savatier) Handel-Mazzetti, but he explicitly excluded the basionym (and thereby the type) of the latter name, i.e., A. trinervius var. ovatus Franchet & Savatier. Ling did not indicate a type for A. ageratoides var. oophyllus, which cannot, therefore, be validly published as the name of a new taxon; however, he cited A. blinii in synonymy with a full and direct reference to its author and place of valid publication, hence var. oophyllus was validly published as a replacement name based on A. blinii.

Aster ageratoides var. pendulus W. P. Li & G. X. Chen, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 44: 349. 2006.

垂茎三脉紫菀 chui jing san mai zi wan

Stems pendent, multibranched. Basal and lower cauline leaves abaxially very often purple. Cauline leaves linear-lanceolate, adaxially often hispid, base attenuate, margin with ca. 4-paired serrae. Phyllaries 1.25-1.75 mm wide, apex green. Ray florets white. 2n = 60-92*.

● N Hunan (Shimen: Huping Shan).

Aster ageratoides var. pilosus (Diels) Handel-Mazzetti, Acta Horti Gothob. 12: 214. 1938.

长毛三脉紫菀 chang mao san mai zi wan

Aster trinervius var. pilosus Diels, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 29: 610. 1901 ["pilosa"].

Leaves ovate or oblong-lanceolate, rather thick, abaxially densely shortly hairy, glandular, adaxially shortly strigillose, adaxially on veins and stems spreading white or gray long hairy, hairs ca. 1 mm, base gradually or abruptly attenuate, margin shallowly serrate. Phyllaries purple-brown at apex.

● W Hubei, S Shaanxi, C and E Sichuan.

Aster ageratoides var. scaberulus (Miquel) Y. Ling, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 74: 162. 1985.

微糙三脉紫菀 wei cao san mai zi wan

Aster scaberulus Miquel, J. Bot. Néerl. 1: 100. 1861; A. trinervius f. pubescens Kuntze.

Leaves usually ovate or ovate-lanceolate, thicker, abaxially densely puberulent, densely glandular, veins often villous, or glabrescent, adaxially densely strigose, base gradually or abruptly attenuate into narrowly winged or unwinged short petiole, margin shallowly 6-9-serrate. Involucres 5-7 × 6-10 mm; phyllary apex green. Ray florets white or tinged red.

Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, E Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Vietnam].