Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Native

Wet prairie, ditches.

August to September

Pink, reddish purple, or purple ray florets, yellow or orange-yellow disk florets

12″ to 48″

This is 12″ to 48″ tall, erect, perennial forb that rises on 1 to 5 or more clustered stems from a stout caudex with a few short, stout, fleshy rhizomes and occasionally slender, creeping rhizomes.

The stems are stout, stiffly erect, usually with several ascending to spreading branches above the middle. They are green at first, sometimes purplish near the top, becoming light to dark brown. They are covered with short, stiff, spreading, white hairs, sparsely to moderately below, moderately to densely above. The upper stem also has short, glandular hairs that can be seen with a hand lens.

The leaves are thin and often stiff. Basal leaves are usually spatula-shaped, sometimes inversely lance-shaped, ¾″ to 2⅜″ long, and 3 ⁄16″ to ⅝″ wide. They are stalkless, taper to a point at the tip, and taper at the base to the stem. The upper surface is stiffly hairy, the lower surface is softly hairy. There are 3 main veins, the two lateral veins visible on the underside. The margins have sparse, shallow teeth and a fringe of hairs. Basal leaves are usually absent at flowering.

Lower stem leaves are oblong or lance-shaped, 2″ to 4″ long, and 3 ⁄16″ to ⅝″ wide. They are stalkless, taper to a point at the tip, and clasp the stem with ear-like lobes at the base. The upper surface is thinly hairy with straight, stiff, appressed hairs. The lower surface has minute or short stiff hairs. The margins are either untoothed or have sparse, shallow teeth and a fringe of hairs. Lower stem leaves are usually absent at flowering.

Middle and upper stem leaves are numerous, inversely lance-shaped, 1¼″ to 3⅛″ long, and 3 ⁄16″ to ⅝″ wide, becoming gradually smaller as they ascend the stem. They are stalkless, taper to a point at the tip, and clasp the stem with ear-like lobes at the base. The upper and lower surfaces are moderately to densely covered with soft hairs. Middle and upper stem leaves are present at flowering. The margins are untoothed and have a fringe of hairs.

The inflorescence is either a leafy, often crowded, pyramidal inflorescence with a main stem and branches (panicle), or a solitary head or small cluster of heads at the ends of the branches. The stalks of the flower heads are densely covered with glandular hairs.

The flower heads are ¾″ to 1¾″ in diameter. The bracts at the base of the flower head (involucre) are arranged in 3 to 6 overlapping series. They are mostly linear and are tapered to a long, sharply pointed tip. The inner series is usually tinged purple. The outer series is spreading or bent backward and is covered with glandular hairs.

There are 40 to 100 pink, reddish purple, or purple ray florets arranged in 2 or 3 series, and 50 to 110 orangish-yellow to reddish disk florets. The disk florets have 5 translucent stamens with yellow anthers.

The fruit is a hairy achene with a tuft (pappus) of pale orangish-brown to light tan, occasionally purplish-tinged hairs attached.

This plant has larger flowers with more numerous rays than other asters. The rays are dark purple, not pale.