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Photographer: Theodore S. Cochrane
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Family Asteraceae
Aster laevis L. var. laevis
smooth aster, smooth blue aster
Aster: from the Greek aster, "a star," describing the radiate heads of the flowers
laevis: smooth, free from hairs or roughness
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| Status: | Native |
| Plant: | erect, perennial, 1'-3' tall, usually hairless, waxy forb; stems reddish; usually from short rhizomes |
| Flower: | head 2/3"-1" wide with 15-30 blue to purple rays, bracts (phyllaries) with a long, dark-green tip; inflorescence with a few to many heads in open clusters; blooms Aug.-Oct. |
| Fruit: | dry, smooth seed often with a reddish, fluffy pappus |
| Leaf: | mostly along the stem, thick, stiff, larger leaves less than 5 times as long as wide, stalkless to clasping |
| Habitat: | full to partial sun; dry to moderate moisture; prairies, woods; in sandy, loamy soil |
| (Glossary) |
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