Symphyotrichum lateriflorum

Common Names

Calico Aster, White Woodland Aster, Starved Aster, Side-Flowering Aster

Summary

Calico Aster is a native North American herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae family forming a clumping, erect to arching plant 2–3 feet tall and wide with spreading branches and hairy stems, leaves are alternate and lanceolate with toothed margins, its panicles run along the sides of long branches bearing small white to pale lilac ray florets with yellow centers that age to pink or purple, creating a calico display from late summer into fall, the plant readily forms colonies and occurs in moist woodland settings, meadow edges, and streamsides, it grows best in moist, well-drained soils and tolerates full sun to partial shade, adapting to a range of light conditions and soil types, it is suitable for native, woodland, rain garden, mass planting, border, or hedge-like edging, it also makes good cut flowers, hardy in USDA zones 4a–8b, propagation is by division in spring, and maintenance is generally pest- and disease-resistant with air circulation, it provides nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies and may form colonies over time

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

2-3 feet

Spread

2-3 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 4-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun to partial shade.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained soil

Soil Drainage

Moist, well-drained soil

Soil pH

Tolerates all pH levels

Bloom Color

White blooms with yellow centers that mature to brown or reddish purple.

Bloom Time

Fall

Foliage Color

Green, coppery in late summer, bronze in fall

Fall Foliage Color

Bronze tones, coppery, brown/copper green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Summer and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, birds