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Fall Aster

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium

Other common name(s):

Aromatic Aster

Family:

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains
Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Low Mountains and Bajadas
Eastern Cross Timbers, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland
Northern Blackland Prairie

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Shrub

Height

1
to
3
ft.

Spread

2
to
3
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Rocky, Calcareous, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Purple

Bloom Season

Fall

Seasonal Interest

Nectar, Pollen

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Moths, Bees

Maintenance

May be thinned, divided, and transplanted. Gets top heavy, good idea to keep it thick by pruning it back in June. Propagation: Seed, Softwood cuttings.

Comments

Blooms September-December. Forms bright purple mounds in fall. Slowly colonizes by stolons. Fall flowers are a great nectar source for migrating monarchs & other butterflies.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonyn/s: Aster kumleinii, Aster oblongifolius, Aster oblongifolius var. angustatus, Aster oblongifolius var. orientis, Aster oblongifolius var. rigidulus, Lasallea oblongifolia, Virgulus oblongifolius

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYOB. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Symphyotrichum+oblongifolium&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=4558&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=522228#null, 6) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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