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For Your Garden - October 2008
New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Illinois Status: common, native
The abundant purple, lavender or pink flowers of New England aster are produced from August until heavy frosts occur. Each flower has a yellow or orange center. Flowers are about one and a half inches wide. Found throughout Illinois in prairies and pastures, the mature New England aster plant has a bushy appearance as stems grow in all directions from the root. Leaves are from one to two inches long and do not have stems. Butterflies are very attracted to the huge number of flowers produced by this species.
Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Habitats
Aquatic Habitats
bottomland forests; marshes; peatlands; rivers and streams; swamps; wet prairies and fens
Woodland Habitats
bottomland forests; southern Illinois lowlands
Prairie and Edge Habitats
black soil prairie; edge; hill prairie
Native Plant Information
For more information about Illinois native plants, visit our Native Habitat Descriptions, Requirements, and Plant Lists page. The following publications are available from the IDNR on our publications page.
