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Whorled Wood-aster

Oclemena acuminata

Found in spruce-fir forests, northern hardwood forests, mountain seepages and streambanks, other cool, moist situations. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

56
Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height
1–2 feet
Spread
1–2 feet
Light
Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 1.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 44 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
July to September

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 32 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 4

Spruce-fir forests

Spruce-fir forest
Regional / representative. Shown: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpoint, a neighboring state.Spruce-fir forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Northern hardwood forests

Frozen northern hardwood forest, Baxter Creek Trail
Northern hardwood forest in winter. Shown: Baxter Creek Trail near Mount Sterling, Haywood County, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Frozen northern hardwood forest, Baxter Creek Trail, Brian Stansberry, undated. CC BY 3.0. Source record.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Watauga Falls
Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Seeps and springs

Weymouth Woods Gum Swamp Trail seep
Groundwater seep. Shown: Gum Swamp Trail, Weymouth Woods, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Weymouth Woods Gum Swamp Trail seep, ncwetlands.org, undated. CC BY 2.0. Source record.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 108 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Oclemena

  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
54BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Aster

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
25Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Aster

  • Andrena asteris
  • Andrena braccata
  • Andrena chromotricha
  • Andrena fulvipennis
  • Andrena hirticincta
  • Andrena nubecula
  • Andrena placata
  • Andrena simplex
  • Ashmeadiella bucconis
  • Colletes americanus
Show all 25
  • Colletes compactus
  • Colletes speculiferus
  • Dianthidium curvatum
  • Melissodes denticulatus
  • Melissodes dentiventris
  • Melissodes druriellus
  • Melissodes illatus
  • Melissodes niveus
  • Melissodes subillatus
  • Melissodes trinodis
  • Melissodes wheeleri
  • Paranthidium jugatorium
  • Perdita octomaculata
  • Protandrena citripes
  • Protandrena compositarum
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–7b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Yellow, pink, red or white

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Aster acuminatus; Nodding Wood Aster; Whorled Wood Aster; aster

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources