Home/Species/ Narrowleaf Whitetop Aster

Sericocarpus linifolius

(L.) B.S.P.

Narrowleaf Whitetop Aster

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.159943

Element CodePDASTEF040

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderAsterales

FamilyAsteraceae

GenusSericocarpus

Synonyms

Aster solidagineusMichx.

Other Common Names

narrowleaf whitetop aster (EN)

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2024-04-01

Change Date1985-05-11

Edition Date2024-04-01

Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)

Threat ImpactUnknown

Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

Sericocarpus linifolius is a wide-ranging perennial herb occurring in dry woodlands in the eastern United States from Massachusetts west to Ohio and Indiana, and south to Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, west to Louisiana. Threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance activities, silvicultural activities, recreational activities, and invasive species. With a large range extent, over 400 occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.

Range Extent Comments

Sericocarpus linifolius occurs in the eastern United States from Massachusetts west to southern Ohio and southern Indiana, and south to Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, west to eastern Louisiana. Range extent was estimated to be over 1.1 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).

Occurrences Comments

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 400 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).

Threat Impact Comments

Although threats are not widely documented, Sericocarpus linifolius is threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance activities, silvicultural activities, recreational activities (especially ATVs), and invasive species, and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Sericocarpus linifolius grows in "dry woodlands, woodland margins, longleaf pine sandhills" (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2023) and oak and pine barrens, roadsides, and fields (FNA 2006).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest EdgeWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedBarrens

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Ohio	S3	Yes
Indiana	S3	Yes
Virginia	S5	Yes
Maryland	SNR	Yes
Pennsylvania	S1	Yes
District of Columbia	SNR	Yes
Delaware	S4	Yes
Kentucky	S5	Yes
New Jersey	S4	Yes
Florida	SNR	Yes
Tennessee	SNR	Yes
Connecticut	SNR	Yes
Louisiana	S2	Yes
Massachusetts	SNR	Yes
Georgia	SNR	Yes
North Carolina	S5	Yes
New Hampshire	S1	Yes
Rhode Island	SNR	Yes
Alabama	SNR	Yes
New York	S2	Yes
South Carolina	S5	Yes
West Virginia	S1	Yes
Mississippi	S4	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
Unknown/undetermined	—	—	—

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (4)

Indiana (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Mogan Ridge	Hoosier National Forest	8,435

North Carolina (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Catfish Lake North	Croatan National Forest	11,299
Dobson Knob	Pisgah National Forest	6,111

Tennessee (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Stone Mountain	Cherokee National Forest	5,367

References (7)

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 20. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 7: Asteraceae, part 2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxii + 666 pp.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2023. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of April 14, 2023. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2105 pp.

Sericocarpus linifolius

Habitat

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