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Annual Saltmarsh Aster

Symphyotrichum subulatum

Found in tidal marshes. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

90
Keystone

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

Profile 100%

Height
About 3 feet
Light
Part shade, Shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual or biennial
Bloom
September to November
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 11 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)

Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.

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
Soil pH
Alkaline
Flower color
Blue
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Annual Salt Marsh Aster; Aster subulatus; Eastern Annual Salt Marsh Aster; Eastern Annual Saltmarsh Aster; Texas Aster; aster

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources