Common Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium (L.) G.L. Nesom)
Also known as Blue wood-aster, heart-leaved aster, heart leaved aster; also classified as Aster cordifolius.
↑Range - Expand
Legend | Color |
Native | |
Native or Not Present |
This tentative map is based on our own research. It may have limited data on Canada and/or Mexico, and there is some subjectivity in our assignment of plants as introduced vs. expanded. Read more in this blog post.
↑Life Cycle
A perennial that reproduces both by seed and vegetatively by short rhizomes.
First-year plants often flower but do not usually reach full height and do not usually produce many flowers or much seed. Spreads by rhizomes, but new stems are usually within a few inches of the original, leading to a clumping growth habit, although some individual plants exhibit a tendency to travel farther when forming new stems and form a more patch- or colony-like growth habit.
Stems do not usually support their own weight, and in the absence of supporting vegetation, will often flop over.
Blooms late summer into fall; often blooms up to and sometimes even through the first few frosts. Bloom timing can be influenced by sun exposure and can differ substantially between different plants in different microclimates.
↑Uses
Sometimes planted in gardens, especially native plant gardens, wherea it is valued for the unusual sky-blue color of its flowers, its distinctive heart-shaped leaves with a slight bluish color, and its adaptability to a wide range of conditions, including its ability to bloom well in light shade.
↑Links & External Resources
• Symphyotrichum cordifolium (Blue Wood Aster) | Illinois Wildflowers (About This Site)
• Symphyotrichum cordifolium (Common Blue Wood Aster) | USDA PLANTS Database (About This Site)
• Symphyotrichum cordifolium | Go Botany (About This Site)
• Common Blue Wood Aster | iNaturalist (About This Site)
• Symphyotrichum cordifolium (Blue Wood Aster) | Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder (About This Site)
• Symphyotrichum cordifolium | Biota of North America Project (BONAP) (About This Site)
• Symphyotrichum cordifolium | NatureServe Explorer (About This Site)
• Symphyotrichum cordifolium | Flora of North America (About This Site)
• Symphyotrichum cordifolium | Missouri Plants (About This Site)
• Common Blue Wood Aster | Maryland Biodiversity Project (About This Site)
• Symphyotrichum cordifolium (Blue Wood Aster) | Minnesota Wildflowers (About This Site)