Symphyotrichum rhiannon is a species of flowering plant endemic to a serpentine barren in western North Carolina. It has been given the vernacular Rhiannon's aster and is also known as Buck Creek aster.[1] It is a perennial, herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae.[4]
Symphyotrichum rhiannon has a base number of x = 8.[5] Hexaploid cytotype with a chromosome count of 48 has been reported.[6]
Symphyotrichum rhiannon was formally described by Alan Stuart Weakley and Thomas E. Govus in 2004.[4]
Kauffman, Nesom, et al., formally explained the etymology of the species as follows:[4]
[It] is named in honor of Rhiannon Weakley, whose desire to rest during a field excursion led the authors to further investigate..., and also in honor of the original Rhiannon, a Welsh goddess figure....
Informally explained, Rhiannon Weakley was the toddler daughter of Alan and Allison Weakley. She needed a snack and a nap during the 2003 field excursion.[7]
"Rhiannon hadn’t had a nap that morning," says Alan Weakley, "and she had a little, ah, loss of composure." So the group plopped down to give Rhiannon a snack and a chance to rest. And there, growing all around, was [Laura] Mansberg's mystery aster.
Symphyotrichum rhiannon is endemic to the Buck Creek Serpentine Barrens in Clay County, North Carolina, in the Nantahala National Forest.[4][8]
NatureServe lists it as Critically Imperiled (G1).[1]
Symphyotrichum rhiannon is a species of flowering plant endemic to a serpentine barren in western North Carolina. It has been given the vernacular Rhiannon's aster and is also known as Buck Creek aster. It is a perennial, herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae.
