White Panicled Aster vs Frost Aster
This guide is under construction and has not been published yet. It may have errors. When in doubt, double-check other sources for definitive ID.These two species are sometimes confused. Although they have mostly non-overlapping habitat preferences, they can sometimes occur near each other on the same site. Excepting the rare smooth varieties of S. pilosum they are easily told apart by level of pubescence on the stem. They also can be told apart by growth habit, and sometimes by flowerhead traits. S. lanceolatum ranges much farther north and west, is much more shade-tolerant, and is more restricted to moist sites. S. pilosum favors sunnier, drier sites.
White Panicled Aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum) | Frost Aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum) |
A tall, perennial aster of moist, partly-sunny areas. Native to a wide range in North America, coast to coast; common and abundant in much of the northeast and midwest. Often forms large vegetative colonies. |
References & External Resources
These short lists show only links helpful for ID. For a complete list of references and resources also covering other aspects of ecology, visit the links section of the full article on each plant, which is the first entry here.
