Barrens Silky Aster

Symphyotrichum pratense

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in calcareous glades and barrens, prairies. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

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

Profile 82%

Height: 2–3 feet
Spread: 1.5–2 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Symphyotrichum pratense — bloom photograph — (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Evergreen

Not yet recorded · Bloom

Bloom: NC species account not read yet.

Recorded in 3 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Standing water on a limestone glade. Shown: Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens State Natural Area, Rutherford County, Tennessee, a neighboring state.Standing water, Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens SNA, Rutherford County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 65 animals.

American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bewick's Wren
Thryomanes bewickii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Thrasher
Toxostoma rufum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown-headed Cowbird
Molothrus ater
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Screech-owl
Megascops asio
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Arkansas

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

79CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · 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
Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
Bucculatrix angustataNarrow Bucculatrix
Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth

Show all 79

Chlosyne gorgoneGorgone Checkerspot
Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
Chytonix palliatriculaCloaked Marvel
Cochylichroa hoffmananaHoffman's Cochlid Moth
Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
Condica vidensWhite-Dotted Groundling
Ctenoplusia oxygrammaSharp-Stigma Looper Moth
Cucullia alfarataCamphorweed Cucullia, Halloween Paint, Camphorweed Cucullia
Cucullia asteroidesThe Asteroid, Asteroid Paint, Goldenrod Hooded Owlet
Cucullia speyeriSpeyer's Cucullia, Speyer's Paint
Dichomeris bilobellaBilobed Dichomeris Moth
Dichomeris flavocostellaCream-Edged Dichomeris
Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
Dichomeris nonstrigellaLittle Devil, The Little Devil
Dichomeris ochripalpellaShining Dichomeris Moth
Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
Epiblema scudderianaScudder's Epiblema, Goldenrod Gall Moth
Eucosma ochroterminanaBuff-Tipped Phaneta
Eucosma parmatanaAster Eucosma, Aster Flowerhead Caterpillar
Eucosma tomonanaAster-Head Phaneta
Eupithecia absinthiataWormwood Pug, Composite Pug
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
Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar 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
Pseudorthodes vecorsSmall Brown Quaker, Small Brown Groundcat
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Schinia arcigeraArcigera Flower Moth
Schinia septentrionalisNorthern Flower Moth
Scopula inductataSoft-Lined Wave
Sonia canadanaCanadian Sonia Moth
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
Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
Xestia smithiiSmith's Dart
Coleophora laurentella
Dichomeris agonia
Landryia matutella
Paralobesia vernoniana
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
Hardiness: Zones 4a–8b
Flower color: Blue or purple

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “Blue or purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “2–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Leaves · “Evergreen” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Spread · “1.5–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Symphyotrichum sericeum var. microphyllum; aster

Conservation status

Arkansas rank	S2
Global rank	G4?
AR status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Barrens Silky Aster

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

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