Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (L.) G.L. Nesom

New England Aster

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_plant.jpg
STATS

Native
CC = 4
CW = -3
MOC = 51

© DETenaglia

Family - Asteraceae/Astereae

Habit - Perennial forbs with a compact, woody rootstock, usually with 1 or few short, stout, rhizomatous branches, less commonly with longer-creeping, slender rhizomes.

Stems - Ascending to erect, to 1.7 m, single or multiple from base, often branched above the midpoint, densely and evenly pubescent with spreading hairs (less so toward the base), also with moderate to dense, stalked glands toward the tip.

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_stem.jpg Stem. Note the dense leaf arrangement.

© DETenaglia

Leaves - Alternate, simple, sessile, clasping, auriculate. Basal and lower stem leaves absent at flowering. Median and upper stem leaves often relatively numerous, progressively smaller toward the stem tip, sessile, strongly clasping the stem, the blades 1-12 cm long, narrowly oblanceolate (but often slightly broadened at the base) to narrowly oblong-lanceolate, rarely broader, cordate to nearly truncate at the base, angled or tapered to a sharply pointed tip, the margins entire, hairy, the surfaces moderately to densely hairy, usually with 3 main veins, the secondary veins relatively easily observed abaxially and forming an irregular network of relatively short to somewhat elongate areoles.

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_leaves.jpg Stem and leaves.

© SRTurner

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_leaves2.jpg Leaf bases.

© SRTurner

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_leaf1.jpg Leaf adaxial.

© SRTurner

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_leaf2.jpg Leaf abaxial.

© SRTurner

Inflorescences - Dense panicles terminating inflorescence branches, the heads appearing mostly long-stalked, the bracts relatively few, 0.5-1.2 cm long, mostly linear. Peduncles densely glandular-pubescent.

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_inflorescence.jpg Inflorescence.

© SRTurner

Heads - Radiate, showy, 2.0-4.5 cm in diameter at flowering. Involucre 6-12 mm long, the bracts in 3-6 subequal, overlapping series. Involucral bracts mostly linear, long-tapered to the slender, sharply pointed tip, the tip spreading or reflexed, the green portion extending more than 2/3 of the way to the base, those of the median and inner series with a progressively shorter, elliptic, green apical area (this mostly 1/2 the length or more), usually purplish-tinged, the outer surface with relatively dense, stalked glands and often also with sparse, longer, nonglandular hairs (the inner surface sparsely to moderately hairy), the margins with relatively long, spreading hairs. Receptacle flat, naked.

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_heads.jpg Flowering heads.

© SRTurner

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_heads2.jpg Flowering heads.

© SRTurner

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_involucre.jpg Involucre.

© DETenaglia

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_involucre2.jpg Glandularity of involucre.

© SRTurner

Flowers - Ray florets 40-100 in usually 2 or 3 series, pistillate, the corollas well developed, 10-25 mm long, purple or less commonly pink. Disc florets 50-110, the corollas 4.5-6.5 mm long, the slender portion of the tube shorter than the slightly expanded apical portion, the 5 lobes 0.4-0.7 mm long, 20-25 percent of the total length of the expanded portion. Pappus bristles 4.0-6.5 mm long, mostly pale orangish brown to light tan, occasionally purplish-tinged.

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_flowers1.jpg Typical ray color.

© DETenaglia

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_pink.jpg Pink variant.

© SRTurner

Symphyotrichum_novae-angliae_florets.jpg Disk and ray florets.

© SRTurner

Fruits - Achenes 2-3 mm long, with 7-10 longitudinal ribs, purplish brown to brown, densely hairy and sometimes also sparsely glandular.

Flowering - Typically September - October, occasionally as early as July.

Habitat - Bottomland prairies, moist depressions of upland prairies, fens, bases of bluffs, streambanks, pond margins, pastures, fencerows, ditches, railroads, roadsides. Also widely cultivated.

Origin - Native to the U.S.

Lookalikes - Broadly, other species of Symphyotrichum; however, S. novae-angliae is relatively distinctive in appearance.

Other info. - This attractive plant can be found throughout most of Missouri but is uncommon or absent in southeastern and southwestern portions of the state. It also occurs across much of the continental U.S., most abundantly in the upper Midwest and New England. Frequent cultivation may partially obscure the natural range. It is one of the easiest asters to identify, having densely leafy stems, big flower heads with numerous purple rays, and a densely glandular involucre. In comparison, S. patens but has cauline leaves which are much more widely spaced on the stem and far fewer rays in the flower heads. S. patens also grows in drier soils of more upland regions.

New England aster is the most showy of all the asters in the state and does very well in cultivation. It tends to produce more flowering heads, over a longer bloom period, than other species. The rays are usually some shade of purple, but a pink form is also reasonably common. Horticultural manipulation has produced varieties in other shades of color.

Photographs taken off Hwy H, Shannon County, MO., 9-28-03 (DETenaglia); also near Labadie, Franklin County, MO, 9-28-2008 and 9-24-2020, and at Shaw Nature Reserve, Franklin County, MO, 9-25-2009 and 9-28-2018 (SRTurner).