Purple Stem Aster; Swamp Aster; Bristly Aster

Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum

Found in bogs, seeps, ditches, wet meadows. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height: About 8.1 feet
Light: 4 or more hours of direct sun

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Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum — bloom photograph — (c) Chris Friesen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: Fall
Fruiting season: Fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Soil · Life cycle

Recorded in 4 Alabama counties.

Habitats

Seeps and springs; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; wet meadows.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

71CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Symphyotrichum

Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent
Abagrotis magnicupidaOne-Dotted Dart
Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Allagrapha aereaUnspotted Looper Moth
Anthanassa texanaTexan Crescent
Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
Bucculatrix angustataNarrow Bucculatrix
Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth

Show all 71

Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
Chytonix palliatriculaCloaked Marvel
Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
Condica vidensWhite-Dotted Groundling
Ctenoplusia oxygrammaSharp-Stigma Looper Moth
Cucullia asteroidesThe Asteroid, Asteroid Paint, Goldenrod Hooded Owlet
Cucullia convexipennisBrown Hooded Owlet, Calico Paint
Dichomeris flavocostellaCream-Edged Dichomeris
Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
Dichomeris ochripalpellaShining Dichomeris Moth
Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
Epiblema scudderianaScudder's Epiblema, Goldenrod Gall Moth
Eucosma parmatanaAster Eucosma, Aster Flowerhead Caterpillar
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Heliothis phloxiphagaSpotted Straw Sun Moth, Darker Spotted Straw Moth
Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
Leuconycta diphteroidesGreen Leuconycta
Lioptilodes albistriolatusMousy Plume Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Ochropleura implectaAmerican Flame-Shouldered Dart
Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Pero morrisonariaMorrison's Pero
Phycitodes reliquellaWhite-Edged Phycitodes
Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
Ponometia candefactaOlive-Shaded Bird-Dropping Moth
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Schinia arcigeraArcigera Flower Moth
Schinia septentrionalisNorthern Flower Moth
Scopula inductataSoft-Lined Wave
Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
Tornos scolopacinariaDimorphic Gray
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
Acrocercops astericola
Carmenta ithacae
Dichomeris agonia
Hellinsia glenni
Landryia impositella
Paralobesia vernoniana
Pseudotelphusa carduiella
Xenotemna pallorana

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

79BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Symphyotrichum

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

45Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Symphyotrichum

Andrena asteris
Andrena asteroides
Andrena braccata
Andrena bullata
Andrena canadensis
Andrena chromotricha
Andrena fulvipennis
Andrena hirticincta
Andrena nubecula
Andrena placata

Show all 45

Andrena simplex
Anthophorula asteris
Ashmeadiella bucconis
Calliopsis coloradensis
Colletes americanus
Colletes compactus
Colletes rufocinctus
Colletes simulans
Colletes speculiferus
Dianthidium curvatum
Dianthidium simile
Dieunomia nevadensis
Melissodes boltoniae
Melissodes confusus
Melissodes denticulatus
Melissodes dentiventris
Melissodes druriellus
Melissodes fumosus
Melissodes illatus
Melissodes menuachus
Melissodes niveus
Melissodes subillatus
Melissodes trinodis
Melissodes vernoniae
Melissodes wheeleri
Paranthidium jugatorium
Perdita bruneri
Perdita ignota
Perdita octomaculata
Perdita xanthismae
Protandrena aestivalis
Protandrena andrenoides
Protandrena citripes
Protandrena compositarum
Protandrena illinoiensis

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Aster

Alectoris chukarChukar
Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: ASTERACEAE
Flower color: Blue
Growth rate: Slow
Growth habit: Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Fall
Fruit ends: Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Blue” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Height · “About 8.1 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Leaf retention · “Deciduous” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
primary_flower_color · “blue” · USDA PLANTS

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNR
Global rank	G5T5
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Purple Stem Aster; Swamp Aster; Bristly Aster

At a glance

Habitats

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

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