Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Image of three New England aster blooms, each with about 40 ray florets of a deep purple color, surrounding a dark yellow center of approximately the same number of open disk florets. Disk florets and ray florets are explained in the text.
Rouge National Urban Park, Ontario

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Astereae
Subtribe: Symphyotrichinae
Genus: Symphyotrichum
Subgenus: Symphyotrichum subg. Virgulus
Section: Symphyotrichum sect. Polyliguli
Species:
S. novae-angliae
Binomial name
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Native distribution in green: Canada — Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Québec; US — Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Introduced North American distribution in blue: US — Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
North American distribution of S. novae-angliae, green is native, blue is introduced[3]
Synonyms[2]

Basionym

  • Aster novae-angliae L.
Alphabetical list
  • Aster altissimus Moench
  • Aster amplexicaulis Lam.
  • Aster muehlenbergii Tausch
  • Aster novae-angliae f. geneseensis House
  • Aster novae-angliae var. monocephalus Farw.
  • Aster novae-angliae f. rosarius House
  • Aster novae-angliae f. roseus Britton
  • Aster novae-angliae var. roseus A.Gray
  • Aster novae-angliae f. spurius (Willd.) Voss
  • Aster repertus Mottet
  • Aster roseus Desf.
  • Aster spurius Willd.
  • Aster spurius var. novae-angliae (L.) W.P.C.Barton
  • Diplactis novanglia Raf.
  • Lasallea novae-angliae (L.) Semple & Brouillet
  • Symphyotrichum novae-angliae f. roseum (Desf.) G.Wilh. & Rericha
  • Virgulus novae-angliae (L.) Reveal & Keener

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (formerly Aster novae-angliae) is a species of flowering plant in the aster family (Asteraceae) native to central and eastern North America. Commonly known as New England aster,[4] hairy Michaelmas-daisy,[5] or Michaelmas daisy,[6] it is a perennial, herbaceous plant usually between 30 and 120 centimeters (1 and 4 feet) tall and 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 ft) wide.

The usually deep purple flowers have up to 100 ray florets which are rarely pink or white. These surround the flower centers which are composed of just as many tiny yellow disk florets. The plant grows naturally in clumps, with several erect stems emerging from a single point. The stems are stout, hairy, and mostly unbranched. The untoothed, lance-shaped leaves clasp the stem with earlobe-like appendages, and the lower stem leaves often wither by the time of flowering.

New England aster generally grows in wet environments but also has been found in dry soil or sand. The seeds and nectar of this mostly conservationally secure species, which blooms August to November, are important to a wide variety of animals, including birds, bees, and butterflies. It has been introduced to Europe, Central Asia, Hispaniola, New Zealand, and some western states and provinces of North America.

The naturally-occurring hybrid species of New England aster and white heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides) is named Symphyotrichum × amethystinum and is commonly known as amethyst aster. It can grow where the two parents are in close proximity. There are roughly 50 cultivars of Symphyotrichum novae-angliae available, including the award-winners 'Brunswick', 'Helen Picton', and 'James Ritchie'. It has been used by indigenous Americans, such as the Cherokee, Iroquois, and Potawatomi, to heal multiple ailments.

  1. ^ NatureServe (2021).
  2. ^ a b POWO (2019).
  3. ^ Brouillet et al. (2006a).
  4. ^ USDA (2014).
  5. ^ NBN Trust (n.d.).
  6. ^ Brouillet et al. (2020).