no pollen. The disks have florets that start out as yellow and later turn purple. Each disk floret has an average range of in depth and is made up of 5 fused petals, collectively called a "corolla", which opens into 5 lobes. Disk florets in the Symphyotrichum genus are androgynous, each with both male (stamen, anthers, and filaments) and female reproductive parts; thus, a disk floret produces pollen and can develop a seed. Fruit The fruits of Symphyotrichum novae-angliae are seeds, not true achenes but cypselae, resembling an achene but surrounded by a calyx sheath. This is true for all members of the Asteraceae family. After pollination, they become dull purple or brown with an oblong or obconic shape, are uncompressed, and are long and wide with 7–10 nerves. They also have tufts of hairs called "pappi" which are tawny or rose-tinged in color and long. Chromosomes S. novae-angliae has a monoploid number (also called "base number") of five chromosomes The species is diploid with a total chromosome count of 10. Taxonomy History and classification The species' basionym (original scientific name) is and it has many taxonomic synonyms. Its name with author citations is Symphyotrichum novae-angliae . Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, in 1753, formally described what we know today as S. novae-angliae. It is a member of the genus Symphyotrichum classified in the subgenus Virgulus. It has been placed in section Grandiflori, sometimes segregated then within its own subsection Polyligulae. It also has been segregated within its own section Polyliguli. The cladogram shown follows the circumscription of section Polyliguli for the species. Several varieties and forms have been described, differing in flower color, but these generally are not recognized and are considered taxonomic synonyms of the species. F1 hybridization with S. ericoides can occur where the ranges of these two species overlap. Named Symphyotrichum × amethystinum (amethyst aster), the hybrid is intermediate between the parent species in most respects. No other hybrids with S. novae-angliae have been reported. Etymology The word Symphyotrichum has as its root the Greek symph, which means "coming together", and trichum, which means "hair". The species name novae-angliae translates to "New England", and the vernacular name "Michaelmas daisy" derives from the various asters, including this species, that tend to flower around September 29, the Feast of St. Michael. The species' former genus, Aster, comes from the Ancient Greek word (astḗr), meaning "star", referring to the shape