Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Symphyotrichum tenuifolium
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.
Read more about Symphyotrichum at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
This species can be distinguished from S. subulatum by its taproot and annual habit (vs. rhizomatous perennial), fewer disc florets (4-13 vs. 16-30), and narrower ray florets, per Weakley's Flora (2025)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphyotrichum tenuifolium
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Symphyotrichum tenuifolium
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Symphyotrichum tenuifolium var. tenuifolium
SYNONYMOUS WITH Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Aster tenuifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-030:
Aster tenuifolius FAMILY Asteraceae
COMMON NAME:
Perennial Saltmarsh Aster
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_aste2_001_lvd
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_symph_tenuifolium1
September Dare County NC
Flower heads in open, diffuse, paniculiform arrays. Ray florets 10-25, per Flora of North America.
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_symph_tenuifolium1b
September Dare County NC
Leaves few, leaf blades succulent, linear or nearly so, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Symphyotrichum tenuifolium
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphyotrichum tenuifolium
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Symphyotrichum tenuifolium
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Symphyotrichum tenuifolium var. tenuifolium
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Aster tenuifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-030:
Aster tenuifolius
FAMILY
Asteraceae
2320
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Brackish marshes, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain
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: Pale violet/ White
Disc: Yellow becoming reddish-purple
Inferior ovary
Disc flowers bisexual & fertile/ Ray flowers pistillate & fertile
Flower heads in loose panicles
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Brown
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p509
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p093
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p114
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