Pacific aster ~ 09/17/11 ~ Wilder Ranch

best guess Pacific aster / common California aster
best guess Symphyotrichum chilense (formerly Aster chilensis)
Asteraceae

Maybe someday I'll know how to properly ID flowers. I've looked at hundreds of CalPhotos and even resorted to trying to decipher Jepson this morning - I simply cannot get my mind wrapped around terminology like "± oblanceolate", "cyme" and "phyllaries." It doesn't help that names and distribution records vary widely depending on the source. For the time being, I think I'll stick with S. chilense as one of the most common asters in this part of CA, which doesn't mean the above ID is correct. Regardless of the ID, I welcome seeing this autumn flower. Last year I made a virtual collection of fall aster love.

Pacific aster ~ 02/04/11 ~ Hatton Canyon

best guess Pacific aster / common California aster
best guess Symphyotrichum chilense (formerly Aster chilensis)
Asteraceae

This is my best guess ID for these two asters; if anyone knows better, please let me know. The leaves look quite different from the California aster I spotted at Elkhorn Slough back on October 16, 2010, but I chalk the differences due to time of year and different habitats. I'm also making the assumption that these are native and not garden escapees from the lovely gardens on both sides of the canyon. As I was looking up this ID, I discovered there are literally hundreds of aster garden cultivars. I generally think of asters as being a fall bloomer, but as I've said many times before, our local wildflowers on the coast don't seem to follow traditional blooming periods.

Pacific aster ~ 10/16/10 ~ Elkhorn Slough

Pacific aster

Symphyotrichum chilense (formerly Aster chilensis)
Asteraceae

posted 02/05/11 - I double-checked the Elkhorn Slough Plant List and this is the only aster on record. As a note, I'm going with Calflora's new genus name Symphyotrichum, rather than the more commonly known Aster chilensis (there's a spelling difference in the species name that complicates search queries). In my humble opinion, I'm wondering if this might not be Symphyotrichum lentum (Suisun Marsh aster), but considering there's no record of this in Monterey County, I'm going with the more common species on this ID.