Symphyotrichum laeve
North American native perennial in the Asteraceae that grows 2–4 feet tall, forms a neat clump, blooms late summer to fall with lavender-blue daisy-like flowers, and attracts bees and butterflies.
Common Names
Smooth Aster, Smooth Blue Aster
Summary
Smooth blue aster is a perennial forb in the Asteraceae native to central and eastern North America. It grows 2–4 feet tall and 1–2 feet wide, with alternately arranged lanceolate to oblong leaves. Flower heads carry 13–23 pale blue to purple ray florets surrounding yellow disk florets, blooming August to October. The plant spreads by creeping rhizomes at a non-aggressive rate and can self-seed in gardens without becoming invasive. It attracts native bees and butterflies and serves as a larval host for the Pearl Crescent butterfly; common habitats include prairies, open woods, and roadsides with full sun and well-drained soils; drought tolerance appears once established.
Ideal for wildflower, native plant, and butterfly-friendly landscapes, it suits borders, meadows, and naturalized plantings, providing late-season color. It tolerates dry to well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade and is not invasive; division or seed-based propagation maintains plantings. Four infraspecific varieties exist (laeve, geyeri, concinnum, purpuratum), and a cultivar such as Bluebird is grown in gardens.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
24-48 inches
Spread
12-24 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3-8
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally Full Sun to Partial Shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained loam or sandy loam soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
6.0-7.5
Acidic to neutral
Bloom Color
Blue
Bloom Time
Late Summer to Fall.
Foliage Color
Blue-green, bluish-green, glaucous, grayish blue, green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Slow
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds are attracted
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (L.) Á.Löve & D.Löve
- Publication
- Taxon 31(2): 359 (1982):.
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asterales
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Subfamily
- Asteroideae
- Tribe
- Astereae
- Subtribe
- Symphyotrichinae
- Genus
- Symphyotrichum
Inferior Taxa
Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve Symphyotrichum laeve var. purpuratum
Synonyms
Aster expansus Aster rubricaulis Aster laevis subsp. laevis Symphyotrichum laeve subsp. laeve Aster politus Aster laevis var. cyaneus Aster laevis var. laevigatus Aster bupleurifolius Aster glaucus Aster pickettianus Aster laevis var. simplex Aster laevis var. panduratus Aster laevis var. sourisensis Aster laevis var. thyrsoideus Aster laevis subsp. geyeri Symphyotrichum laeve var. geyeri Aster laevis var. laevis Aster laevis var. latifolius Aster laevis f. laevis Aster lucidus Aster laevis Aster laevis var. amplifolius Aster glaucescens Aster decorus Aster laevigatus Aster concinnus Aster autranii Aster laevis var. guadalupensis Aster cyaneus Aster laevis var. abbreviatus Aster pensilvanicus Aster laevis var. geyeri Aster laevis var. undulatifolius