TRUE ASTERS
Aster L. in the new narrow sense includes only those species clearly closely related to Aster amellus L., the type species of the genus. The genus includes about 150 species; 123 species in China (82 endemic). All species included in the genus have a chromosomal base number of x = 9 and are native to Europe and Asia. Brouillet, et al. (2001, 2009) determined that many of the Eurasian species of asters (including A. amellus) belong to the same clade and thus can be retained in the genus Aster. Further work is needed to determine relationships and to create a phylogenetic infrageneric classification. The treatment of Aster in the Flora of China (Chen, Brouillet & Semple 2011) was based in part on molecular data and follows recent treatments in eastern Asian floras. Kalimeris, Heteropappus, Miyamayomena and Rhynchospermum belong within the genus Aster, as does possibly Sheareria. All of these genera are native to central and eastern Asia, where the greatest diversity in the genus occurs.
The limits of the genus Aster were revised based on a large sampling of taxa and DNA data by Zhang et al. (2026). Both plastid and nuclear SNP trees resolved relationships within Asterinae with strong support. The previously defined Asterinae and Aster were revealed to be polyphyletic, splitting into four (plastid tree) or seven (nuclear SNP tree) clades, respectively. Aster. This revised taxonomy of Asterinae consolidates 16 former genera of Astereae. Additionally, they proposed one new subtribe (Chlamyditinae) and four subgenera within Aster – three of which are novel.
Some European species
- Aster amellus (type species of genus)
- Aster × frikartii (A. amellus X A. thompsonii)
- Aster pyrenaeus
Eurasian species
Aster sect. Alpigeni (Diplactis)
- Aster culminis (native to North America)
- Aster alpinus (Eurasia)
- Aster tongolensis (Eastern Asia)
- many other species
Some eastern Asian species
- The Kalimeris group (see also Aster ageratoides)
- The Asian 'Doellingeria' group (A. rugulosus, A. sohayakiensis, A. dimorphophylla, A. komonoensis, A. miqueliana, A. longipetiolata, A. marchandii, A. scabra)
- Aster ageratoides
- Aster diplostephoides
- Aster hispidus
- Aster iinumae
- Aster mongolicus
- Aster taiwanensis
- Aster yakushensis
- Aster yunnanensis
revised 15 September 2026 by J.C. Semple
© 2026 J.C. Semple, including all photographs unless otherwise indicated