Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Test-drive A Teaching Key to Asters.
See herbarium specimens at the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.
Frost Aster is one of the "small white aster" group, but stands out with its densely (sometimes moderately) spreading-hairy stems and leaf undersides. The bracts on inflorescence branches are much longer and more tapered than those of S. dumosum. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-032:
Aster pilosus FAMILY Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Aster pilosus var. pilosus
COMMON NAME:
Frost Aster, White Heath Aster
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm110308_794
March Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm110308_799
March Greenville County SC
Basal lvs oblanceolate, petioled, 1-4" lng. Basal & lower lvs wither early, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm190708_9816
July Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm220705_8982
July Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_051
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Stem stout at base, long hairs often in lines on the upper stem, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_053
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm120930_169
September Greenville County SC
Inflorescence a diffuse panicle w many small sharp-pointed bract-like leaves, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
COMPARE
small white asters
)
JK Marlow jkm120930_174
September Greenville County SC
Involucral bracts lanceolate, acuminate, the apex acicular [needle-like], per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
involucral bracts of North American asters
)
JK Marlow jkm111008_873
October Jackson County NC
Balsam Mountain Preserve
Leaves of lower stem sessile or tapered to a short petiole, hairy. — Ron Lance
)
JK Marlow jkm181005_5237
October Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm181005_5240
October Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm201022_7888
October Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm201022_7889
October Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm231019_6122
October Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm231019_6123
October Greenville County SC
Heads 1/2-3/4" wide with 20-30 rays and yellow or red disks, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm151227_877
December Pickens County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm151227_884887
December Pickens County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm151227_893
December Pickens County SC
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-032:
Aster pilosus
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Aster pilosus var. pilosus
164
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Old fields, disturbed areas, woodland borders, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate (basal leaves absent or withered at flowering, but new rosettes often present)
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Rays: White
Disc: Yellow becoming reddish-purple
Flower heads with 20-30 ray flowers
Inferior ovary
Disc flowers bisexual & fertile/ Ray flowers pistillate & fertile
Flower heads in bushy many-headed panicles
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Tan
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p018
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p130
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p554-555
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p458
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p181
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p113
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p265?
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p277
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p327
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p212
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".