FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Plant often leaning. Hairy stems and leaf undersides are a helpful distinguishing feature. Green bracts around the base of the flower beneath the white petals have pointed tips curving outward.
Description: Weedy, medium height, erect, perennial aster with white flowers; grows to 1.5 m.
Leaves: Long spreading hairs on stems and leaf undersides. Alternate, smooth-margined, green above, gray below. Basal leaves oblanceolate, 2.5 to 10 cm long and wither early.
Flowers/Fruit: Small, daisy-like flowers, 1.25 to 2 cm wide, with about 20 to 30 narrow white petals and yellow or reddish centers; white petals curling under on older flowers. Bracts on flower undersides have green midribs and pointed tips that curve outward. Flowers typically arranged all on one side of a branch. Fruits are small dry seeds with clusters of hairs for wind-borne dispersal. Flowers and fruits September to November.
Habit and Range: This weedy aster is found statewide in old fields, disturbed areas, fencerows, woodland edges, lake and pond shores, in dry or moist conditions.
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Symphyotrichum pilosum (frost aster) is easily confused with other Symphyotrichum species, especially S. dumosum (rice button aster), which has flower bracts that do not curve outward as they do in S. pilosum. S. dumosum also does not have hairy leaves and stems, and flowers generally have fewer petals.
Click here to view Symphyotrichum dumosum.
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