longleaf aster, Symphyotrichum robynsianum

Longleaf or Robyn's aster was the first new find of the trip last weekend. Longleaf is a northern species with a limited range. Even in Michigan you have to go north to have a good chance to see it. Longleaf was first described to science in 1997. Before that we didn't know what it was? It's a nice large aster, growing in damp ground. This one was on a roadside bank in Deadstream Swamp west of Houghton Lake. I was a camp counselor near there in the summers, 1962-4. Probably saw these then, but couldn't know what they were. Longleaf grows in MI, MN, WI, MB, ON, and QC. Roscommon Co MI, 8/10/19.