It is from 1-3 ft tall. This bushy plant grows to be 0.5 to 1 m tall and can have a 30 cm spread. Heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides syn. White Heath Aster; Previously known as: Symphyotrichum ericoides; Phonetic Spelling ASS-ter er-ik-OY-dees Description. The stems are erect and the plant produces abundant flowers (white petals with yellow centers) from August through November. Leaves cauline, linear, sessile, entire, 1–5 cm long, often with fascicles or short branches in the axils, the lowest deciduous. Description: This is a low-growing aster with narrow leaves and small white, daisy-like flowers with thin petals. Site: Dry, open sites. Easy to grow, this tolerant perennial thrives as a groundcover in dry conditions. Gardening: The showy flowers of white heath aster make it a popular plant for use in wildflower and native plant gardens. Heath Aster Symphyotrichum ericoides Aster family (Asteraceae) Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is up to 2' tall, branching occasionally to create a bushy appearance. In Arkansas, this aster occurs statewide and is one of 22 species of aster (Symphyotrichum) konwn to occur in the state.. Habitats for this aster include old fields, open … Economic: White heath aster is economically valuable as an ornamental. Butterflies flock to it masses of tiny flowers for nectar. Stems ascending to erect, sometimes branched, 20–70 cm, often clustered. Foliage: Numerous tiny, rigid, heath-like leaves. Perennial from a branched caudex. White oldfield aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum), formerly Aster pilosus, a herbaceous perennial of the Aster (Asteraceae) family, occurs from Texas to South Dakota and Minnesota thence to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Style exserted, yellowish at the apex, bifurcate. Herbage strigose to pubescent. Leaves are narrow (1cm wide) and linear (7 cm long), resembling the leaves of heather. White petals with yellow center disk. The hairy stems are green initially, but often become brown when the plant matures. Ligules white, to 1cm long, 1-2mm broad, minutely notched at the apex (use a lens to see), glabrous. The name aster I from the Greek for "star". Its leaves are sessile (stalkless) and narrow, becoming smaller towards the top of the plant and tips of the branching stem. Disk flowers - Disk 5-8mm broad. Corolla tube sparsely pubescent externally, glabrous internally. Description. A bushy, somewhat compact plant with many-branched stems which typically grows 1' to 3' tall. Habitat: Dry prairies, fields, roadsides. At the time of flowering, most leaves drop except for those directly beneath the flower head. It forms ground-covering colonies with woody stems that persist over the winter. Stigmas 1mm long. White heath aster is a hardy perennial with an extensive root system of rhizomes and stolons. It has white (rarely pinkish), composite flowerheads with yellow centers that begin flowering in late summer through fall. Flower: 15-30 small, white petals. It can lower the forage quality of prairie hay. Symphyotrichum ericoides, commonly called heath aster, is a Missouri native plant that typically occurs in open rocky woods, prairies and along roads and railroads. Heath aster bursts into fragrant yellow centered, white daisy-like bloom in early fall. Other Names: White Aster, Heath Aster, White Prairie Aster, Life Cycle: Perennial Description: This is a perennial plant which can grow to as much as 5 feet tall.The basal leaves are lanceolate and the upper leaves are linear. The flower head is 1/2 inch wide. Narrow grey-green foliage is an important larval butterfly food. 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