Symphyotrichum bahamense

There really isn't much information on our native aster. So I'll give you my own observations. Most people would consider this a weed. To me, it is a highly desirable plant. I spoke in an earlier post that I have a "don't pull too early" policy with weeds. I like to wait and see what plant it is first. I've added a lot of natives to my yard this way, including this one. You should try it! This species is a medium sized annual. (1'-2' high) It has beautiful composite flowers typical of this family roughly 1" in diameter. Each composite flower consist of ray florets that are white and disk florets that are yellow/orange. It flowers in our winter months (November - February) which is a plus, as not many things are bloom during this season. This plant grows with no extra care at all, and self seeds easily, here in South Florida. I highly recommend it to native plant enthusiasts or even average home gardeners looking for low maintenance plants.

Family: Asteraceae •
Genus: Symphyotrichum •
Species: bahamense (Britton) G.L.Nesom •
Country of Origin: Native to Florida, The Bahamas, Cuba •
Common Names: Bahaman Aster •

http://www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=4231



Symphyotrichum bahamense by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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