Symphyotrichum rhiannon
# Symphyotrichum rhiannon

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.

## Chromosomes

Symphyotrichum rhiannon has a base number of x = 8. Hexaploid cytotype with a chromosome count of 48 has been reported.

## Taxonomy

Symphyotrichum rhiannon was formally described by Alan Stuart Weakley and Thomas E. Govus in 2004.

### Etymology

Kauffman, Nesom, et al., formally explained the etymology of the species as follows:

   [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.

   "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.

## Distribution and habitat

Symphyotrichum rhiannon is endemic to the Buck Creek Serpentine Barrens in Clay County, North Carolina, in the Nantahala National Forest.

## Conservation

NatureServe lists it as Critically Imperiled (G1).

## Citations

* 1 2 3 NatureServe (2021).
* ↑ POWO (2019).
* ↑ USDA, NRCS (2014).
* 1 2 3 4 5 Kauffman et al. (2004).
* ↑ Semple (2021).
* ↑ Semple (n.d.).
* ↑ Smith (2005).
* ↑ USFS (n.d.).
