North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Symphyotrichum patens

Symphyotrichum patens (Aiton) G.L. Nesom

clasping american-aster, late purple aster

Symphyotrichum patens (Clasping American-aster)

Image ID: 2769
Image by: Gardner, Rob
Image Collection: Herbarium Collection

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: SYPA11
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Symphyotrichum patens
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-10-15

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: SYMPH4
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Symphyotrichum
GENUS AUTHORITY: Nees
GENUS COMMON: Aster
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 90 species, of the Americas and e. Asia, most diverse in our area.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Brouillet et al. FNA (2006b); Brouillet & Semple (1981); Cronquist (1980)=SE; Jones (1980a, 1980b, 1984); Jones & Young (1983); R. Jones (1983)=Z; R. Jones (1992); Lamboy (1987, 1992)=Y; Nesom (1994)=X; Nesom (2005b)=V; Nesom (1993a, 1993b, 1994, 1997); Campbell & Seymour (2014)=J; Noyes & Rieseberg (1999); Semple & Brouillet (1980a, 1980b); Semple, Chmielewski, & Lane (1989); Semple, Heard, & Xiang (1996); Sundberg (2004)=Q; Reveal & Keener (1981); Warners & Laughlin (1999); Xiang & Semple (1996). Key to subgenus Astropolium based on Nesom (2005b).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ASTERA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Asteraceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792
FAMILY COMMON: Aster Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect to sprawling, rhizomatous and colonial perennial of dry upland forests, clearings and road banks.
STEMS: Stems slender, usually unbranched and with 12-30 leaf nodes below the inflorescence, firm or brittle, loosely hairy.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate, with a heart-shaped and clasping base, oval or lance-shaped, 1-6 in. long (much smaller on the flowering branches), thick and firm, occasionally toothed, rough above and on the margins; lower leaves withering and dropping early.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Composite flowers (heads) solitary at ends of wide-spreading branchlets; heads 1-1 1/2 in. wide, consisting of 15-25 blue to violet or purple, narrow ray florets encircling a center disk of yellow (turning reddish) tubular florets. 3-4 series of glandular-sticky, oblong bracts with green and spreading tips surround the top- to bell-shaped base of each head.
FRUITS: Fruit a tan-tufted achene.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 1-3 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate, Basal
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Mixed
BLOOM TIME: August-November

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
							x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Purple

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
								x	x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: eastern & central United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Locally collected seed was sown and germinated at the Garden in order to offer this native plant for sale. This aster has a sprawling habit as if it is being brought to earth by the weight of its many blooms. Its range is from eastern Kansas and Texas, south to Florida and north to Maine. This aster is yet another great fall blooming plant for the landscape. Found in dry fields, clearings, and woodlands this native can be used in full sun and dry sites in the garden.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Well-drained
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 4
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 8
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
269	HORT	2008-11-20	Liloia	View
1217	HORT	1995-10-18		View
1353	HORT	2006-11-20	Bryan	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
264	2011-0118	2011-06-16	269	View
3987	1992-0143			View
5249	1995-0368			View
5955	1995-1085			View
9013	1995-1519	2007-02-28	1217	View
9336	2021-0004			View
9386	2021-0049	2021-04-05	0	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
638	264	32	Fache	2011-05-17	View
639	264	34	Marchal	2011-05-11	View
640	264	32	Marchal	2011-05-11	View
641	264	19	NCBG staff	2011-05-12	View
6315	3987	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
7702	5249	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8525	5955	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
9042	9013	143	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12167	264	29	Mixon	2012-03-28	View
12493	9336	20	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12632	9386	232	Wait	2020-06-26	View
12633	9386	233	Wait	2020-06-26	View
12634	9386	234	Wait	2020-06-26	View
12635	9386	235	Wait	2020-06-26	View
12860	0	21	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
14005	9336	29	Mixon	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: SYPA11
USDA Common Name: Late Purple Aster
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
COMMON NAME:
SYNONYMY:
PHENOLOGY:
HABITAT:
COMMENTS:
RANGE MAP:

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Asteraceae Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792 (Aster Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Symphyotrichum Nees (Aster)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 90 species, of the Americas and e. Asia, most diverse in our area.
REFERENCE: Brouillet et al. FNA (2006b); Brouillet & Semple (1981); Cronquist (1980)=SE; Jones (1980a, 1980b, 1984); Jones & Young (1983); R. Jones (1983)=Z; R. Jones (1992); Lamboy (1987, 1992)=Y; Nesom (1994)=X; Nesom (2005b)=V; Nesom (1993a, 1993b, 1994, 1997); Campbell & Seymour (2014)=J; Noyes & Rieseberg (1999); Semple & Brouillet (1980a, 1980b); Semple, Chmielewski, & Lane (1989); Semple, Heard, & Xiang (1996); Sundberg (2004)=Q; Reveal & Keener (1981); Warners & Laughlin (1999); Xiang & Semple (1996). Key to subgenus Astropolium based on Nesom (2005b).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Symphyotrichum patens in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Symphyotrichum patens in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Symphyotrichum patens in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Symphyotrichum patens in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Symphyotrichum patens in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Symphyotrichum patens

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 2769 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 17680 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 9625 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)