Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Aster lateriflorus var. lateriflorus
Frost flower, Calico aster, Small white aster
Taxonomy

Synonyms: Aster vimineus, Aster racemosus, Symphyotrichum racemosum, Fragile-stem american-aste, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. lateriflorum

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

  • Magnoliophyta
    • Magnoliopsida
      • Asterales

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0

Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Dicot-herb, perennial

Roots: adventitious, rhizomes

Shoots: alternate leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire leaf margin; Pinnate leaf venation; awl-shaped, oblong leaf shape

Inflorescence: head

Flowers: perfect, unisexual, monoecious; complete, regular, irregular; violet, white; epigynous ovary position

Fruit: achene

Physiology: autotrophic

Reproduction: sexual, vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Low meadows of river valleys, swampy meadows, prairie swales, swampy woods, borders of swamps and of upland sinkhole ponds.

ILPIN Notes: Arched, recurving to horizontally spreading branches bearing much reduced, bracteate leaves and numerous small flower-heads in 1-sided racemes or spike- like inflorescences; flower heads among the smallest of all native species; rays usually white, rarely purple. Disk florets perfect, ray florets pistillate and perfect. Includes typical variety and var. subdumosus Wieg.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators: insect
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 3
  • Chicago Area: 5

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