Symphyotrichum georgianum

Georgia aster

Symphyotrichum georgianum (Alexander) G.L. Nesom is native to sandy and clay soils, oak-pine woodlands, road embankments (mostly Piedmont) from northcentral Alabama to central North Carolina (Brouillet et al. 2006 FNA).  The colonial species is distinguished by its short to long rhizomes, sometimes ± undulate leaves with with revolute margins, the distal leaf bases ± auriculate-clasping to subclasping, and large heads with glandular phyllaries and showy violet-purple rays (14–24 × 1.5–3.5 mm). The species is a decaploid with x=5 (2n=50).

Symphyotrichum georgianum is of conservation concern and is disjunct and rare in southwestern Georgia and Leon County, Florida.