Aster patens Aiton

• Authority

  Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

• Family

  Asteraceae

• Scientific Name

  Aster patens Aiton

• Description

  Species Description - Plants with a short caudex, sometimes with creeping rhizomes as well; stems rather slender and brittle, 2–15 dm, shortly and loosely hairy; lvs ± hairy or scabrous, at least beneath, sessile and conspicuously cordate-clasping, broadly ovate to oblong, entire, 2.5–15 × 0.8–4.5 cm, the lower soon deciduous; heads few to rather numerous in an open, divaricately branched infl; invol 5–9 mm, its bracts well imbricate, mostly acute, ± glandular or short-hairy or both; rays 15–25 (–30), blue (pink), 8–15 mm; achenes shortly sericeous; 2n=10, 20. Woods and dry, open places; Mass. and s. N.H. to s. Mich. and Kans., s. to Fla. and Tex.

• Common Names

  clasping aster