Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains
Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Low Mountains and Bajadas
Eastern Cross Timbers, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland
Northern Blackland Prairie
Plant Characteristics
Growth Form
Shrub
Height
1
to
3
ft.
Spread
2
to
3
ft.
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Lifespan
Perennial
Habitat and Care Requirements
Soil Type(s)
Sand, Rocky, Calcareous, Well Drained
Light Requirement
Sun, Part Shade
Water Requirement
Low
Native Habitat
Grassland
Bloom and Attraction
Bloom Color
Purple
Bloom Season
Fall
Seasonal Interest
Nectar, Pollen
Wildlife Benefit
Butterflies, Moths, Bees
Maintenance
May be thinned, divided, and transplanted. Gets top heavy, good idea to keep it thick by pruning it back in June. Propagation: Seed, Softwood cuttings.
Comments
Blooms September-December. Forms bright purple mounds in fall. Slowly colonizes by stolons. Fall flowers are a great nectar source for migrating monarchs & other butterflies.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonyn/s: Aster kumleinii, Aster oblongifolius, Aster oblongifolius var. angustatus, Aster oblongifolius var. orientis, Aster oblongifolius var. rigidulus, Lasallea oblongifolia, Virgulus oblongifolius
References
1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYOB. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Symphyotrichum+oblongifolium&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=4558&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=522228#null, 6) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.