The lesser whitethroat was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Motacilla curruca. The specific curruca is the Latin word for an unidentified bird mentioned by the Roman poet Juvenal. The word had been used for the lesser whitethroat by the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner in 1555. Linnaeus specified the locality as Europe but this was restricted to Sweden by Ernst Hartert in 1909. This species is now placed in the genus Curruca that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1802.
This species has been commonly assumed to be closely related to the common whitethroat, as their common names imply. It was suggested that the two species separated in the last ice age similar to the pattern found in the chiffchaff and willow warbler, with their ancestor being forced into two enclaves, one in the southeast and one in the southwest of Europe. When the ice sheets retreated, the two forms supposedly no longer recognised each other as the same species. However, scientists researching this question have for quite some time realized that these two taxa are not particularly close relatives.
Rather, the lesser whitethroat and its closest relatives Hume's whitethroat and the small whitethroat appear more related to a group of morphologically quite dissimilar species. These vary much in size and color pattern, but also lack chestnut wing patches and have a strong contrast between the usually dark head sides and the white or whitish throat. The latter group occurs from the southern parts of the lesser whitethroat complex' range into Africa and include the Orphean warbler group, the Arabian warbler, and the brown and Yemen warblers sometimes placed in Parisoma. Thus, it rather appears as if the divergence of the lesser whitethroat complex and its closest living relatives is more ancient than assumed, and that it did not involve separation by ice sheets building up in Europe, but by aridification of the Arabian region (which also occurred throughout the Ice Ages).
The lesser whitethroat complex has been split up into the present species, Hume's whitethroat, and the small whitethroat from which the Margelanic whitethroat may also be specifically distinct. In this superspecies, the lesser whitethroat seems to form the basal European lineage. Only two subspecies are nowadays unequivocally recognized for the lesser whitethroat, and they intergrade throughout Central Europe:
Curruca curruca curruca – Western lesser whitethroat – western parts of range
Curruca curruca blythi – Northeastern lesser whitethroat – eastern parts of range. Has somewhat paler top of head, separated from face sides by white supercilium.
Two more taxa occur in the intergradation zone with the small whitethroat, stretching from the northern Caspian Sea area into Mongolia. The phylogeny of these is not well-researched, and they might eventually turn out to belong to either species or be stereotyped hybrids:
Curruca curruca/minula halimodendri
Curruca curruca/minula telengitica
Similarly, Curruca curruca caucasica is intermediate between the lesser and Hume's whitethroats.
A bird which wintered at Landsort Bird Observatory, Sweden, differed in the analyzed mtDNA sequences from all known taxa in the complex, although it most closely resembled halimodendri in the field. As mtDNA is inherited from the mother only, were this bird a hybrid this should have been recognizable.
Some taxonomic authorities lump the Hume's whitethroat and the desert whitethroat into this species.


The Sardinian warbler (Curruca melanocephala) is a common and widespread typical warbler from the Mediterranean region. Like most Curruca species, it has distinct male and female plumages. The adult male has a grey back, whitish underparts, black head, white throat and red eyes. Plumages are somewhat variable even in the same locality, with the intensity of a reddish hue on upper- and/or underside that varies from absent to (in some subspecies) pronounced. The female is mainly brown above and buff below, with a grey head. The Sardinian warbler's song is fast and rattling, and is very characteristic of the Mediterranean areas where this bird breeds.


The first formal description of the Sardinian warbler was by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789 in the 13th edition of the Systema naturae. He coined the binomial name Motacilla melanocephala. The previous genus Sylvia was introduced in 1769 by the Italian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli. The genus name is from Modern Latin silvia, a woodland sprite, related to silva, a wood. The specific melanocephala is from Ancient Greek melas, "black", and kephale, "head". Currently, the Sardinian warbler is placed in the genus Curruca by the IOC, along with most of the species formerly classified in the genus Sylvia.
Together with Menetries's warbler the Sardinian warbler forms a superspecies. Both have white malar areas and light throats, and otherwise black heads in adult males, as well as a naked ring around the eye. The eastern subalpine warbler, which seems the superspecies' closest relative, has a dark throat and breast and a dark gray upper head in males, but otherwise shares these characters. These three species are related to a dark-throated superspecies consisting of Rüppell's warbler and the Cyprus warbler, which also share the white malar area with blackish above.
This bird may be considered a superspecies, divided into the western Curruca melanocephala and Curruca momus from the more arid regions of the Near East and adjacent Africa.


The geographical variation in the Sardinian warbler conforms to some extent with Gloger's rule, though not as strongly as in some other typical warblers. The validity of leucogastra and norissae is not accepted by some authors, and valverdei has been described very recently. On the other hand, leucogastra might be more than one subspecies.
Curruca melanocephala melanocephala (Gmelin, 1789)
Iberia across the northern Mediterranean to western Turkey. Extends into the Maghreb from Iberia, and into Libya from Italy via Sicily. Migrates to the Sahel and oases in the Sahara in winter.
Large, long wings, tail tip rather pointed. A dark form, usually lacking any reddish in males but flanks extensively grey. Females' uppersides vary between deep olive brown and greyish olive.
Curruca melanocephala leucogastra (Ledru, 1810) - often included in melanocephala; phylogenetic status requires review
Canary Islands, resident, probably some vagrancy between eastern islands and Maghreb.
Medium size, short-winged and large-billed. Tenerife and La Palma (western) birds are most distinct, being dark above with some rusty/beige hue on the underside in males. Eastern birds (Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria) are more like melanocephala and momus but differ in measurements.
Curruca melanocephala momus (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833)
Near East. Resident, some local movements.
Smallish, short-winged. Varies between brownish grey and rusty above; underside almost always has reddish hue. Females rusty to rusty olive.
Curruca melanocephala norissae Nicoll, 1917: Fayyum warbler - probably only a local morph of momus
Nile Delta region. Extinct since around 1940.
Like momus, but tend to be very reddish.
Curruca melanocephala valverdei Cabot & Urdiales, 2005 - recently split from melanocephala
From Tiznit (Morocco) south to the Tropic of Cancer, inland to the edge of the Sahara. Resident, but some seasonal movements.
Medium-sized, tail tip quite square. A very pure-colored form, the palest subspecies. Undersides clean white. Matte black cap in males. Juveniles decidedly sandy.


It breeds in the southernmost areas of Europe and just into Asia in Turkey and the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This small passerine bird, unlike most "warblers", is not particularly migratory, but some birds winter in north Africa, and it occurs as a vagrant well away from the breeding range, as far as Great Britain.


This is a bird of open country and cultivation, with bushes for nesting. The nest is built in low shrub or brambles, and 3-6 eggs are laid. Like most "warblers", it is insectivorous, but will also take berries and other soft fruit.


BirdLife International (2012). "Sylvia melanocephala". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
Type locality: "Sardinia"
Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 970.
Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 11. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 281.
Scopoli, Giovanni Antonio (1769). Annus I historico-naturalis (in Latin). Lipsiae (Leipzig): C.G. Hilscheri. p. 154.
Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 246, 376. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
Dickinson, E.C.; Christidis, L., eds. (2014). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 2: Passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. pp. 509–512. ISBN 978-0-9568611-2-2.
Helbig (2001), Jønsson & Fjeldså (2006)
Cabot & Urdiales (2005)


Symbrenthia lilaea, the peninsular jester, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with Symbrenthia hippoclus. There are numerous regional forms, and the taxonomy of the group is not well resolved.


Wet-season form, male. Upperside black, with orange-yellow markings as follows:
Forewing: discoidal streak clavate, bi-indentate above; a contiguous spot at base of interspace 3; a short, outwardly oblique band from middle of dorsum contracted in the middle; another outwardly oblique, somewhat macular, short, broad, preapical band from beyond middle of costa to interspace 4, with two small spots above it in interspaces 5 and 6.
Hindwing: a very broad sub-basal transverse band narrow at the costal margin, a postdiscal narrower similar band contracted into a line towards costal margin, sometimes traversed by a line of black spots and a subterminal very slender line.
Underside, ochraceous orange with numerous spots and lines of ferruginous, that form on forewing a short, outwardly oblique streak not extending beyond interspaced, and on hindwing a sub-basal transverse streak in continual ion of the above streak on the forewing; also on both wind's a series of obscure postdiscal cone-shaped marks, irrorated and rendered indistinct on the hindwing by a large patch of pink scales turning to a bluish lunule in interspace 3; forewing with a ferruginous, hindwing with a pale yellow subterminal line.
Antennae black, ochraceous at apex; head with ferruginous pubescence; thorax and abdomen black on upperside, ochraceous beneath.
Female: Similar, the orange markings broader and somewhat paler on the upperside.
Dry-season form differs in both sexes as follows: The orange markings on the upperside broader and paler in the middle, the short bands oil the anterior and posterior portions of the wing coalescing. Underside paler, all the dark markings less clearly defined than in the wet-season form.


The Himalayas from Hazara division Pakistan to Sikkim; Assam; Burma; Tenasserim, extending to the Malayan subregion.


Body cylindrical. Head black, flattened in front, vortex broad and sharply depressed in the middle, minutely hairy, cheeks slightly tuberculous; third to the last segment armed with a dorsal and four lateral rows of black, rigid, branched spines on each side; segments fuliginous black, second segment with a slender pale ochreous dorsal line, third to last segment with two sublateral rows of small pale ochreous spots.


Pale purpurescent ochreous; thorax and abdomen laterally protuberant in front; with a thoracic and anterior-dorsal pointed prominence; abdominal segment with a row of dorsal and lateral small points; head-piece projecting and widely cleft. (Moore.)


Sympecma fusca, the common winter damselfly,  is a damselfly a member of the Lestidae and related to the emeralds or spreadwings.


This species can be found in much of southern and central Europe stretching out to Asia where it is replaced by S. paedisca. It is found around the Mediterranean in Europe and North Africa and on many Mediterranean islands.
It can be found in all types of standing water, including in brackish waters. In winter adults are found away from water on dry plant stems usually in open areas such as grassland and heaths.
There are only two records for this species in Britain; the first was recorded on 21st December 2008 in S E Wales, the second was recorded by Terry Crow at Wildern Moor within Wildern Local Nature Reserve in Hedge End on 5th May 2022.


Sympecma fusca can reach a length of about 38 millimetres (1.5 in). It is distinct from all other European damselflies except Sympecma paedisca, so in most of its range there are no problems with identification. It does not have the bright blue or red colouration that is more usual for damselflies so it is often overlooked. It does not have the metallic emerald green sheen that is characteristic of the Lestes.
These damselflies have pale brown pterostigma on both forewing and hindwing and the pterostigma are nearer the wing tip on the forewing which means that both pterostigma can be seen with the wings closed, they do not overlap as in other damselflies. In the field this is easily seen and distinguishes Sympecma from all other damselflies. Males that have overwintered have dark brown pterostigma on both forewing and hindwing and many develop blue eyes.
Where both S. fusca and S. paedisca fly together careful examination of the adult, in the hand, preferably under magnification, is required to tell the two species apart. In the male the anal appendages are slightly different and there are subtle differences in the markings on the thorax in both sexes.


This species is found all year round as it overwinter as an adult. It usually blends in with the dried grass stalks in which it overwinters. It is one of only two species of European dragonflies that overwinter as adult insects, the other being the related Sympecma paedisca. Although related to the Lestes 'spreadwing' damselflies, Sympecma rest with their wings alongside their bodies
In spring these damselflies mate and with the pairs still in tandem, the females oviposit in floating vegetation. Most reproductive behaviour occurs in April and May. The eggs hatch and the larvae develop rapidly in about 2 months. When the adults emerge they move away from water, often to heath or grassland a long distance from water, where they overwinter hidden amongst dried plant stems.


Sympecma paedisca, known generally as siberian winterdamsel, is a species of spreadwing in the damselfly family Lestidae. It is found in Europe.
The IUCN conservation status of Sympecma paedisca is "LC", least concern, with no immediate threat to the species' survival. The IUCN status was reviewed in 2014.


Sympetrum ambiguum, the blue-faced meadowhawk, is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae.


The aqua blue face of the blue-faced, green/turquoise when dead, meadowhawk may not be obvious to a casual observer, but is an important field mark distinguishing it from similar-looking meadowhawks in the genus Sympetrum, such as Sympetrum vicinum.
This small dragonfly reaches a maximum total length of 38 mm. The thorax is grayish or olive brown.  A mature male has a bright red abdomen, with black stripes; in females and juveniles, it remains brown. Both genders have six black rings on their abdomens.
They can be found from summer through fall in Midwest North America close to water sources.


The cherry-faced meadowhawk (Sympetrum internum) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum. It is found across northern and central United States and most of Canada, including southern portions of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Its abdomen is brown, turning dark red at maturity in both sexes. The sides of the abdomen are marked with black triangles and the legs are black. Some females have amber in basal areas of their wings. As their name suggests, faces are dark red when mature. Size: 21–36 mm (0.83–1.42 in). This species overlaps with and is difficult to distinguish from the ruby, saffron-winged, and white-faced meadowhawks.


The Southern Darter (Sympetrum meridionale) is a species of dragonfly belonging to the Skimmer family Libellulidae.


The adults grow up to 35–40 millimetres (1.4–1.6 in) long. The wingspan reaches 52–60 millimetres (2.0–2.4 in).
The abdomen of adult males is orange-reddish, without black spots on segments.  The sides of the thorax are yellowish-brown. The adult females are quite similar to males, but the background color is more yellow. The wings are hyaline, with yellow or pale brown pterostigma.


Their life cycle lasts two or three years. They can be encountered from May through mid October in the immediate vicinity of shallow, well vegetated still water, where the larvae develop.


This species is present in most of southern Europe.


The White-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum. It is found in the northern United States and southern Canada. Adult males are identifiable by a distinctive pure white face and red bodies.


Juvenile White-faced Meadowhawks are almost indistinguishable from the Ruby and Cherry-faced Meadowhawks. The three species habitats also overlap extensively. White-faces can be identified by having white faces, as the name implies, at maturity.
Sympetrum internum – Cherry-faced Meadowhawk
Sympetrum rubicundulum – Ruby Meadowhawk


Sympetrum pallipes, the striped meadowhawk, is a species of skimmer in the dragonfly family Libellulidae. It is found in North America.
The IUCN conservation status of Sympetrum pallipes is "LC", least concern, with no immediate threat to the species' survival. The population is stable. The IUCN status was reviewed in 2017.


Males of the banded darter, like most members of the genus, have a red abdomen. The species' primary distinguishing feature however is the presence, in both sexes, of broad black bands across the outer section of each wing. It is similar in size to the black darter (Sympetrum danae) (35-40mm), sharing the broad hindwings and black legs.


The weak, low, fluttering flight is not unlike that of a black darter, but it perches frequently on the tips of rush stems rather than on the ground. It is a surprisingly inconspicuous species.


This species is resident in continental Europe. Its main breeding range is south-eastern, especially at medium altitudes, although it appears to be spreading westwards.


The banded darter has been recorded in Britain just once, in Wales, in the Sympetrum immigration year of 1995 on 16–17 August.


The band-winged meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum belonging to the family Libellulidae.


Sympetrum semicinctum is closely related to, and may not be a distinct species from, the western meadowhawk (Sympetrum occidentale).  Other geographical variants are S. californicum and S. fasciatum.


This species is native to Canada and Continental United States, from coast to coast. It is present in Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward I., Québec, Saskatchewan); United States (Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming).


This dragonfly can be found perched on vegetation along the edges of meadows, in weedy ponds, marshes and lakes, also in the hills or mountains.


Sympetrum semicinctum can reach a length of 28–36 millimetres (1.1–1.4 in), with a wingspan of 45–55 millimetres (1.8–2.2 in).  The male has a bright red abdomen with black markings on the lower sides and on the top of the segments 8 and 9, creating a U like pattern. The thorax is brownish red and the sides show three irregular black stripes. Face and eyes are dark red. The legs are black. The hind wings have a rusty patch at the base,  covering one-third of the wings, while the front wings are almost completely transparent. Pterostigma is blackish red.
The female is mainly greenish-yellowish or orange,  with red over green on eyes and extended blackish markings on the abdomen. Mature females sometimes turn red like males, while  immature males are yellow like females and slowly reach their red coloration.


The flight period extends from April to mid October,   but this dragonfly is more common in late summer.
Adults feed on soft-bodied flying insects. After mating females usually fly in tandem with males during oviposition, performed in flight by dipping the tip of the abdomen into the water. Larvae live in aquatic vegetation. They feed on many different aquatic insects (mosquito larvae, mayfly larvae, other fly larvae, small fish and tadpoles).


The common darter (Sympetrum striolatum) is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae native to Eurasia. It is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe, occurring in a wide variety of water bodies, though with a preference for breeding in still water such as ponds and lakes. In the south of its range adults are on the wing all year round.


Sympetrum species are not easy to tell apart and in most areas more than one Sympetrum species will occur. Females and teneral individuals have light yellow thorax and abdomen. Males turn red as they mature. Females darken with age, becoming a dark chocolate brown, and sometimes develop a blue colouration to the bottom of the abdomen. The wings also develop a brown tinge with age. In all cases the legs have a cream or yellow stripe on a black background - this is a diagnostic feature of this species. The pterostigma of the females can be red, blue, pale blue or brown.


Adults can be seen on the wing all year round in southern Europe but in northern regions they occur from June to November.
This small dragonfly is seen in a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds, canals and slow-flowing rivers. They are ambush predators, waiting on a prominent perch - such as a leaf or the top of a gate, until prey fly past, whereupon they will fly after it. They are territorial on breeding waters, often attempting to chase much bigger dragonflies away such as southern hawkers. This habit of repeatedly returning to a sunny spot allows you to easily predict where they are going to land, which is why it is one of the easiest dragonflies to photograph.
In suitable hunting areas away from water, however, they are not territorial: large numbers may assemble - groups of several hundred in a single field have been recorded - and lines of insects can be seen along the top of field gates.
Eggs are not laid, but broadcast from the air: the male holds the female in tandem and swings her down and forward over water. At the furthest point of the arc the female releases some of her eggs to fall on the water.


This is one of the most abundant dragonflies in Europe, and populations show no evidence of decline.


"Sympetrum nigrescens". National Museums Northern Ireland. 2000. Retrieved 3 October 2011.


You can see this dragonfly in, and around marshes, ponds and slow-moving streams throughout the eastern United States, southern Canada, the Great Plains, and the west coast of North America. This species has two separate populations in North America. One is found from Ontario east to Nova Scotia, extending south into the U.S. to Texas and Florida. The other population occurs in British Columbia, Washington, and Idaho.


The dragonfly will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.


The naiads live in the debris of the bottoms of lakes and ponds. They do not actively pursue prey but wait for it to pass by, a strategy which affords them protection from other predators. The naiads emerge, or make the transition to adult dragonflies, at night. Adults fly from early August through October. This species flies later in the fall than any other species in the Northwest, with observations as late as October 29 in Idaho, and into November in Washington. The adults of this species hunt flying insects from perches on rocks or bare branches. The Latin name for this genus, Sympetrum, means "with rock" and refers to their habit of basking on rocks to absorb heat early in the day. This dragonfly is extremely abundant where it occurs, with large numbers of pairs flying and laying eggs in tandem.


The female flies with the male still attached after mating (a position called "in tandem") and lays her eggs near the shoreline of lakes and ponds by dipping the tip of her abdomen on the surface of the water. Large-mouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) have been observed following mated pairs of dragonflies as they fly just above the surface, and then eating them as they touch the surface to lay eggs.


Symphoricarpos mollis, with the common names creeping snowberry, Southern California snowberry, and trip vine, is a shrub in the Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceae). It is found in western North America from British Columbia to California inland to Nevada and Idaho.


The shrub does well in warm climates and can tolerate both intense sun and constant shade. It is a plant of chaparral ecosystems, especially along coastlines.


The plant is a creeping shrub, low growing and straggling, with stems that can reach several feet while the height limited to only about 1 1/2 ft. It reproduces both from via rhizome and seed.


Leaves are opposite. Stems are flexible.


It bears bunches of red or pink rounded, bell-shaped flowers and spherical or bulbous white or pink-tinted fruits.
The fruits are not generally considered toxic but are distasteful, having a soapy texture due to the presence of saponins.


Symphoricarpos occidentalis, commonly called western snowberry or wolfberry, is a woody species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family. Wolfberry is not to be confused with Lycium chinense and L. barbarum (goji), which are also known as wolfberry.


Symphoricarpos occidentalis is a creeping shrub, with pink, rounded to bell-shaped flowers and spherical or bulbous shaped, white or pink-tinted fruits.


Symphoricarpos occidentalis is native across much of Canada plus the northern and central United States as far south as Oklahoma, northeastern New Mexico, and the Texas Panhandle.


Western snowberry is grown for use in native plant and wildlife gardens, and as a bird food plant in habitat landscapes. It is considered to be a weed in certain situations.


Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, commonly called coralberry, buckbrush or Indian currant is a woody species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family.


Symphoricarpos orbiculatus is an erect shrub, with greenish-white purple-tinged flowers and rounded pink to purple fruits. The leaves are oval shaped, and arranged oppositely along the branches. Symphoricarpos orbiculatus can reach a height of 6 ft (180 cm), but is typically 3–4 ft (90–120 cm). The plant is monoecious, with male and female flowers on the same individual.


Symphoricarpos orbiculatus is native to the eastern and central United States as well as central Canada (Ontario) and northeastern Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León).


Symphoricarpos rotundifolius is a North American subshrub in the honeysuckle family, also known by the common name round-leaved snowberry.


Symphoricarpos rotundifolius is native to the western United States and northwestern Mexico. It has been found in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, eastern Oregon, the Oklahoma Panhandle, far western Texas, and northern Baja California.


Symphoricarpos rotundifolius is an erect, spreading, or trailing subshrub, about 2 to 4 feet (0.61 to 1.22 m) tall, with many stiff branches.


Older woody parts are covered in shreddy bark and smaller, newer twigs are coated in fuzzy hairs.
The species epithet, rotundifolia ("round leaved") is slightly misleading, since the 1⁄4 to 3⁄4 inch (0.6 to 1.9 cm) leaves are oval to elliptic, not perfectly circular. Leaves are green above, and pale green with many veins below.


The inflorescence is a raceme emerging from the leaf axils with one or two pendant flowers having narrowly bell-shaped, pink to white corollas up to 1 cm (0.4 inch) with a lobed mouth.
The fruit is a white berry-like drupe about a centimeter (0.4 inch) wide, containing two seeds.
The genus name means "fruits together", referring to flowers and fruits usually occurring in pairs.
It flowers from June to August.


Symphyotrichum chilense (formerly Aster chilensis) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Pacific aster and common California aster. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to Southern California and the Channel Islands. It grows in many habitats, especially along the coast and in the coastal mountain ranges. Despite its Latin name, it does not occur in Chile. Pacific aster blooms from June to October with violet rays surrounding a yellow center.


Symphyotrichum chilense is a rhizomatous, perennial, herbaceous plant growing to heights between 40 and 120 centimeters (1+1⁄4 and 4 feet). The sparsely hairy leaves are narrowly oval-shaped, pointed, and sometimes finely serrated along the edges. The inflorescence holds flower heads that open June–October with centers of yellow disk florets surrounded by fringes of many narrow violet ray florets. The fruit is a seed, specifically a rounded, hairy cypsela with pappi.


Pacific aster is native to the west coast of North America in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California to Southern California and the Channel Islands. Despite its Latin name, it does not occur in Chile.
It can be found in coastal habitats including salt marshes, ocean dunes and banks, grasslands, and coniferous forests, at elevations of 0–500 meters (0–1,600 feet).


Symphyotrichum ericoides (formerly Aster ericoides), known as white heath aster, frost aster, or heath aster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to much of central and eastern North America. It has been introduced to parts of Europe and western Asia.
The naturally-occurring hybrid species of white heath aster and New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) is named Symphyotrichum × amethystinum and is commonly known as amethyst aster. It can grow where the two parents are in close proximity.


Heath aster is a perennial herbaceous plant with stems from 30 to 91 centimeters (1 to 3 feet) tall. Its leaves are sessile (stalkless) and narrow, becoming smaller towards the top of the plant and tips of the branching stem. It has white (rarely pinkish), composite flowerheads with yellow centers that begin flowering in late summer and last through fall. They are 8 to 10 millimeters (1⁄3 to 1⁄2 inch) across.
It is commonly confused with Symphyotrichum pilosum, which co-occurs throughout most of its range. S. pilosum has larger flowerheads with longer ray petals. The phyllaries on S. pilosum are spine-tipped, while those of S. ericoides are not, although the curled edges may make them appear to be.


Heath aster has two varieties: Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides, which spreads by underground rhizomes to form colonies, and S. ericoides var. pansum  (S.F.Blake) G.L.Nesom, which is cespitose, remaining in a clump, and has corm-like caudices.
F1 hybridization with Symphyotrichum novae-angliae can occur where the ranges of these two species overlap. The hybrid is called Symphyotrichum × amethystinum (amethyst aster) and is intermediate between the parent species in most respects.


Symphyotrichum ericoides grows from Canada across much of the United States into the Mexican states of Coahuila and Nuevo León. The variety S. ericoides var. ericoides prefers open locations with sandy, gravelly, or disturbed soil.


Symphyotrichum ericoides has been used for medicinal purposes among indigenous people in North America. It has been documented that the Meskwaki have used the plant both to revive an unconscious person and in a sweatbath as an herbal steam.


Cultivars of Symphyotrichum ericoides are planted in gardens. Plants sold in the horticultural trade labeled as Aster ericoides, the old name of the plant, are usually cultivars or hybrids involving the species S. dumosum, S. lateriflorum, S. pilosum or S. racemosum, a mistake that has occurred continuously since the 19th century.
The following are cultivars of S. ericoides that have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
'Blue Star'
'Brimstone'
'Golden Spray'
'Pink Cloud'
'Ringdove'
'Snow Flurry' (of S. ericoides var. prostratum)


Symphyotrichum laeve (formerly Aster laevis) is a flowering plant native to Canada, the United States, and Coahuila (Mexico). It has the common names of smooth blue aster, smooth aster, smooth-leaved aster, glaucous Michaelmas-daisy and glaucous aster.


Smooth aster is 20 to 70 centimeters (8 to 28 inches) tall. Its leaves are arranged alternately on the stems, and their shape varies among lanceolate, oblong-ovate, oblong-obovate, and ovate. They measure from 3 to 20 centimeters (1 to 8 inches) long and from 1 to 2.5 cm (3⁄8 to 1 in) wide. They are usually hairless, and the leaf edges are entire or bluntly or sharply toothed (crenate or serrate), sometimes with smaller teeth (serrulate).
The flower heads are arranged in clusters (panicles). Each flower head has 13 to 23 ray florets with pale to dark blue or purple petals (laminae), and 19 to 33 disc florets that start out yellow and eventually turn purplish-red. The whole flowerhead measures 13 to 25 millimeters (1⁄2 to 1 in) across.
The seeds are cypselae with pappi (bristles at their tips). Like the hairs on dandelion seeds, the pappi allow the seeds to be spread by the wind.


There are four varieties: Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve, S. laeve var. geyeri (Geyer's aster), S. laeve var. concinnum, and S. laeve var. purpuratum.
Hybrids with this species and others of the genus have been reported, including three named as follows:
Symphyotrichum × gravesii between S. laeve var. laeve and S. dumosum;
Symphyotrichum × versicolor between S. laeve var. laeve and S. novi-belgii var. novi-belgii; and,
Symphyotrichum × woldenii between S. laeve var. laeve and S. praealtum, which instead may be between S. oolentangiense and S. praealtum.


Symphyotrichum laeve varieties are native to Canada, the United States, and Coahuila (Mexico). The species is introduced in Québec and New Brunswick.
S. laeve grows in fields, open woods, and along roadsides in rocky or dry soil and full sun.


Symphyotrichum laeve blooms in late summer and early fall. It is pollinated by many native bees and attracts butterflies. It is a larval host for the pearl crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos).


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (/ˌsɪmfaɪəˈtrɪkəm ˌlætərʌˈflɔːrəm/; formerly Aster lateriflorus) is a species of flowering plant in the aster family (Asteraceae). Commonly known as calico aster, starved aster, and white woodland aster, it is native to eastern and central North America. It is a perennial and herbaceous plant that may reach heights up to 120 centimeters (4 feet) and widths up to 30 cm (1 ft).
The flowers of calico aster are small compared to most Symphyotrichum species. They have an average of 7–15 short white ray florets, which are rarely tinted pink or purple. The flower centers, composed of disk florets, begin as cream to yellow and often become pink, purple, or brown as they mature. There are roughly 8–16 disk florets, each with five lobes that strongly reflex (bend backwards) when open. The mostly hairless leaves have a characteristic hairy midrib on their back faces, and branching is usually horizontal or in what can appear to be a zigzag pattern. Flower heads grow along one side of the branches and sometimes in clusters at the ends.
Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is a conservationally secure species and grows in a variety of habitats. It can be found throughout most of the eastern and east-central United States and Canada. There is also a native population in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Its late-summer and fall appearing flowers are visited by small pollinators and nectar-seeking insects such as sweat bees, miner bees, and hoverflies. As well as occurring naturally in several varieties, S. lateriflorum has multiple cultivars and has been grown for at least 250 years in Europe. Some modern-day cultivars are 'Bleke Bet', 'Lady in Black', and 'Prince'. It has been used by indigenous Americans as a medicinal plant.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is a clump-forming perennial that grows 20–120 cm (3⁄4–4 ft) tall and up to 30 cm (1 ft) wide. Herbaceous and with alternate leaves, it can have a different appearance throughout its lifespan or a season. For example, a mature or returning plant, or one late in the season, may have one or more stiff stems that reach close to maximum height, several arching branches, and multiple clusters of flowers (inflorescences). An early or first-year plant may have one short and somewhat floppy stem, several large leaves, and end abruptly with one flower head in the center.


The roots of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum have short and woody branched caudices, and can have short rhizomes that may produce offsets. The images of caudices are from dried specimens of S. lateriflorum that are stored in the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) Steere Herbarium.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum has from one to five stems growing from the root base. These stems can be a reddish or purplish color, often with a woody appearance, or a shade of green. Characteristics can depend on the prevalence of sun, with the green stems occurring more likely in the shade.
Slender and wiry inflorescence-filled branches grow from the stems at almost a right angle or in long arches. Shorter branches may ascend rather than arch. Stems and branches can be covered with fine soft hair, but sometimes the amount of hair is reduced farther from the base, mid-stem, or as it goes up the stem. The hair usually grows in vertical lines, particularly on the inflorescence branches.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum has alternate and simple leaves. Characteristics vary among leaves on the same plant and on plants in different environments and areas of the range. Leaves occur at the base, on stems, and on inflorescence branches. The farther away from the base the leaves are, the smaller they become, sometimes markedly so. By the time flowers appear, the leaves at the base and stem have often withered or fallen. Leaves have fine, reticulate veins and little to no hair except for the key characteristic of hair on the back, or abaxial, midrib. This abaxial midrib hair can sometimes all but disappear as the plant ages within a season.
Basal, or bottom, leaves vary in shape from oblanceolate, lance-ovate, ovate, spatulate, to nearly circular. They are thin and the least lance-shaped, with a short or no leafstalk. Basal leaf sizes vary, measuring about 3–35 millimeters in length by 7–25 mm in width. The surfaces feel slightly rough to the touch, and the edges are wavy or saw-toothed. Leaves may or may not come to a point at the end depending upon their shape.
Lower and middle stem leaves have no leafstalk, meaning they are sessile, or they have a very short leafstalk with wings. The shapes of the stem leaves vary from ovate or elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate or lanceolate, rarely linear-lanceolate. Sizes become much smaller the farther they grow from the base. In length, they average 5–10 cm with widths averaging 1–2 cm.
Distal leaves, higher on the stem and on the branches with the flower heads, are also sessile. Their margins are sometimes entire, smooth on the edges with no teeth or lobes. Sizes range from 1 cm to 15 cm (6 in) in length and up to 3 cm in width. The more distal, the smaller they are, and this change can occur abruptly.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is a late-summer and fall blooming perennial, the flower heads opening as early as July in some locations and as late as October in others. The flower heads grow in much-branched arrays (called panicles), are racemose, and generally stay on the upper sides of their stalks, called peduncles. The flower heads at the ends of the peduncles mature approximately one week before those on the rest of the plant.
Each flower head is about 13 mm diameter when in bloom, and is either sessile or with a usually hairy (specifically, pilose) peduncle of its own which is less than 10 mm in length. At the base of the flower head are from one to seven bracts which look like (and technically are) small leaves that grade into the phyllaries.


On the outsides of the flower heads of all members of the family Asteraceae are small bracts that look like scales. These are called phyllaries, and together they form the involucre that protects the individual flowers in the head before they open. The involucres of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum are cylinder-bell in shape and usually 4–6 mm in length.
The phyllaries are appressed or slightly spreading. The shape of the outer phyllaries is oblong-lanceolate or oblong-oblanceolate, and the inner phyllaries are linear. They are in 3–4 (sometimes up to 6) unequal rows, meaning they are staggered and do not end at the same point, and they may be smooth or have hairs. The sparsely haired margins of each phyllary may appear white or light green but are translucent or sometimes reddish. The phyllaries have green chlorophyllous zones that are lanceolate, lens-, or diamond-shaped and have green or purplish tips.


Each flower head is made up of ray florets and disk florets in about a one to one (1:1) ratio, the former developing 3–4 days before the latter. The 7–15 ray florets grow in one series and are usually white, rarely pinkish or purplish. They average 4–5 mm in length, but can be as short as 3 mm and as long as 8 mm. They are 0.9–1.2 mm wide.
The disks have 8–16 florets that start out as cream or light yellow and after opening, may turn pink, then purple or light brown after pollination. Each disk floret is cylindrical or funnel-shaped, 3–5 mm in depth, and is made up of 5 petals, collectively a corolla, which open into 5 lanceolate lobes comprising 50–75% of the depth of the floret. The lobes become strongly reflexed (bent sharply backwards) once open.


The fruits (seeds) of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum are not true achenes but are cypselae, resembling an achene but surrounded by a calyx sheath. This is true for all members of the Asteraceae family. After pollination, they mature in 3–4 weeks and become gray or tan with an oblong-obovoid shape, 1.3–2.2 mm in length with 3–5 nerves, and with a few stiff, slender bristles on their surface (strigillose). They also have tufts of hairs (pappi) which are white to pinkish in color and 3–4 mm in length.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum has a base number of eight chromosomes (x = 8). Diploid, tetraploid, hexaploid, and octaploid plants with respective chromosome counts of 16, 32, 48, and 64 have been reported.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is a member of the genus Symphyotrichum, classified in the subgenus Symphyotrichum, section Symphyotrichum, subsection Dumosi. It is one of the "bushy asters and relatives". Its basionym (original scientific name) is Solidago lateriflora L., and it has sixty taxonomic synonyms. Its name with author citations is Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (L.) Á.Löve & D.Löve. Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, in 1753, was the first to describe what we know today as Symphyotrichum lateriflorum.


In 1748, Linnaeus' apostle Pehr Kalm traveled to North America from Europe. He stayed for two and a half years studying flora and fauna and gathering specimens for study by Linnaeus, returning home in 1751. Kalm's travels in North America took him to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and southeastern Canada. One of the samples he gathered was described by Linnaeus as Solidago lateriflora, now the basionym of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum. Linnaeus recorded the specimen's origin as "Habitat in America Septentrionali" (Latin for "It grows in North America"), and that it was provided by Kalm. Linnaeus classified this plant in the genus Solidago which now contains over 130 of the many species known today as goldenrods. At that time, Linnaeus sorted fifteen of his available specimens into this genus and included them in his two-volume Species Plantarum (1753).
In 1789, Scottish botanist William Aiton included Solidago lateriflora in his Hortus Kewensis, the first edition of a catalogue of the plants cultivated at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he had been the director since 1759. In separate entries, he also described an Aster diffusus, Aster divergens, and Aster miser, all as separate species definitions from Solidago lateriflora. In the A. miser section, Aiton referenced the A. miser of Linnaeus "excluso synonymo Dillennii". The Plants of the World Online (POWO) entry for Symphyotrichum lateriflorum includes Aster diffusus Aiton as a synonym, but not Aster miser L. or Aster miser Aiton. It does include Aster miser Nutt. which was described by English naturalist Thomas Nuttall in 1818. Nuttall stated that what he described appeared "to be the A. miser of Linnaeus, but probably not that of Aiton." Aster divergens Aiton is also listed as a taxonomic synonym.
It was not until 1889 that American botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton combined Solidago lateriflora L. with Aster species, identifying Aster diffusus Aiton and Aster miser Aiton as the same. This resulted in one species named Aster lateriflorus (L.) Britton, with Solidago lateriflora L. as the basionym, as it had been the first described. Other names and combinations occurred before and after this, but Aster lateriflorus was the only one associated with the original Solidago lateriflora until the broad and polyphyletic circumscription of the genus Aster was divided. Aster lateriflorus (L.) Britton was moved to the genus Symphyotrichum in 1982 by Áskell and Doris Löve during their study of plant chromosomes making its binomial name Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (L.) Á.Löve & D.Löve where it currently remains. The infraspecies were subsequently moved by American botanist Guy L. Nesom in 1994.
In a 1928 study of Aster lateriflorus and close relatives, while pondering the "endless confusion in the naming of specimens" of this species, American botanist Karl McKay Wiegand noted how environmental differences likely affected leaf and flower head characteristics, causing botanists to name specimens of this plant as different varieties or species when they may not have been. In this study, Wiegand compared characteristics among the specimens which largely had been ignored up to that point, namely, "the exact length of the involucre and the inner involucral bracts, the number of rays, and the shape of the limb in the disk-corolla as well as the length and character of its lobes."


The Catalogue of Life (COL) recognized six varieties of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (L.) Á.Löve & D.Löve on its 2009 Annual Checklist. By 2017, all had been demoted to taxonomic synonyms. S. lateriflorum var. hirsuticaule was demoted five years prior, in 2012. According to Flora of North America, "[m]uch genetic and phenotypic variation is encountered within the complex; a thorough study is needed before a coherent taxonomy can be achieved."
Although the following varieties are neither accepted by COL nor POWO, they were accepted as of June 2021 by one or more of USDA PLANTS Database, NatureServe, World Flora Online (WFO), Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), and Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN). The autonym is Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. lateriflorum.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. angustifolium (Wiegand) G.L.Nesom is commonly known as narrow-leaved calico aster. Latin angustus means narrow and folium means foliage or leaves. In 1903, American botanist Edward Sandford Burgess described a new species he named Aster agrostifolius which, along with other characteristics, had very thin grass-like leaves. Latin agrostis means grass. Karl McKay Wiegand, in 1928, then described a new variety of A. lateriflorus with narrow lanceolate or linear leaves which he called A. lateriflorus var. angustifolius. He did not associate it with the A. agrostifolius of Burgess. Wiegand identified the holotype for his variety as collected from Cheshire, Massachusetts, 1915, by J. R. Churchill and held in the herbarium of the New England Botanical Club. He was quick to note that "var. angustifolius may be nothing more than a separation of the narrow leaved individuals of the typical form." After Nesom reclassified the varieties from genus Aster to Symphyotrichum, S. lateriflorum var. angustifolium was created, and the two former taxa became its taxonomic synonyms.


In 1953, Canadian-American botanist Lloyd Herbert Shinners named specimens as two new varieties of Aster lateriflorus: A. lateriflorus var. flagellaris Shinners and A. lateriflorus var. indutus Shinners. In his protologues, Shinners said specifically that both had deeply lobed disk corollas and no rhizomes, and these characteristics were his reasoning for placing them both with A. lateriflorus.
Regarding leaf characteristics, Shinners stated that Aster lateriflorus var. lateriflorus, A. l. var. angustifolius, and A. l. var. pendulus all had pubescent abaxial midribs, but did not say that his two new varieties had the same. He said the opposite: in the protologue for A. lateriflorus var. flagellaris, Shinners wrote in Latin "foliis subter omnino glabris", which in English is "leaves totally glabrous on the abaxial side." Thus, no hair abaxially on the leaves of this variety. In the A. lateriflorus var. indutus protologue, Shinners wrote "foliis subter puberulis super dense scabris", translated to English is "leaves with some hairs on the abaxial side, on the adaxial side densely scabrous." There is no mention of an exclusivity of hair on its midrib either.
The type specimens of Aster lateriflorus var. flagellaris and A. lateriflorus var. indutus were both collected in Texas, the former in 1947 in Henderson County, and the latter in 1946, two miles southeast of Daingerfield, which is in Morris County. Shinners was working from only the type specimen for A. lateriflorus var. indutus, and he viewed multiple specimens for A. lateriflorus var. flagellaris, mostly from Texas, and one from McCurtain County, Oklahoma, which is the southeasternmost county of that state and on the north side of the Red River of the South bordering Texas.
Specimens collected by American botanist Alfred Traverse in Harris County, Texas, and verified by Shinners as A. lateriflorus var. flagellaris are stored at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas Philecology Herbarium, as is one collected in 1934 by American botanist Eula Whitehouse at the Ottine wetlands in Gonzales County, Texas, and determined by German-American botanist Almut Gitter Jones to be A. lateriflorus var. indutus. The current name of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. flagellare (Shinners) G.L.Nesom was created in 1994, and the two prior taxa became its taxonomic synonyms.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. hirsuticaule (Lindl. ex DC.) G.L.Nesom is known as rough-stemmed calico aster and starved aster. Aster hirsuticaulis, its basionym, was originally published by Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1836 as having been defined by English botanist John Lindley. Latin hirsuti caulis translates to hairy stem. An abundance of flower cluster stem hair ("caule racemoso hirsutissimo") and the existence of abaxial leaf rib hair ("costâ subtùs hirsutissimâ") were both in the Latin protologue published by de Candolle.
Subsequent authorities demoted Aster hirsuticaulis to infraspecies. American botanists John Torrey and Asa Gray did so first in 1841 with A. miser var. hirsuticaulis, using the abaxial pubescent or hirsute (very hairy) midrib as a primary defining factor. They also stated that the leaves of the variety were "more or less hirsute". Gray followed up in 1884 with A. diffusus var. hirsuticaulis. Here, Gray specified an environmental factor, "probably growing in much shade", also writing that the abaxial midrib and the stem were "very hirsute".
In 1894, German botanist and horticulturist Andreas Voss further demoted Aster hirsuticaulis to a form of A. diffusus. Voss placed his form classifications of A. hirsuticaulis and A. bifrons under A. diffusus var. thyrsoideus. He stated that these forms "sind nur üppige, an schattigen und feuchten Orten stehende, lockerer gebaute, höhere Pflanzen", in English, "are just luxurious plants growing at shady and moist places, less branched and taller". That same year, Pennsylvania botanist Thomas Conrad Porter demoted A. hirsuticaulis to a variety of Britton's A. lateriflorus, which took precedence. After Nesom reclassified the varieties from genus Aster to Symphyotrichum, these became taxonomic synonyms of the new Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. hirsuticaule.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. horizontale (Desf.) G.L.Nesom is commonly called horizontal calico aster. It has been in cultivation in Europe since the mid-1700s, and possibly before. The protologue for the earliest taxonomic synonym, Aster pendulus, was by William Aiton in 1789 who stated that the plant he was describing was cultivated in 1758 by English botanist Philip Miller who was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1722 to 1770. In the preface of Hortus Kewensis, Aiton wrote that he remembered "several Plants to have been cultivated by Mr. Ph. Miller, in the Physick Garden at Chelsea, though no reference is made to them in [Miller's] Gardener's Dictionary."
Nuttall demoted Aster pendulus to a variety of A. divergens in 1818. In 1833, American botanist Lewis Caleb Beck created A. miser var. pendulus from A. pendulus Aiton. His short description states that the leaves of the branches are "rather remote". In 1829, French botanist René Louiche Desfontaines described and named Aster horizontalis with a focus on ramuli horizontales, or "horizontal branches". In 1884, Asa Gray placed this as a variety of A. diffusus. His description included that it was a "cultivated form ... a plant of the gardens, not exactly matched by indigenous specimens, but evidently of this species." He gave the synonyms as A. horizontalis Desf. and A. recurvatus Willd., the latter described by German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow in 1803.
American botanist Oliver Atkins Farwell placed Aster horizontalis Desf. as a variety of A. lateriflorus (L.) Britton, describing it in 1895 as "a tall plant with long straggling horizontal branches." In 1898, Burgess demoted A. pendulus Aiton to a variety of Aster lateriflorus. Finally, Nesom created Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. horizontale when he moved the varieties to genus Symphyotrichum. Its taxonomic synonyms are listed as Aster horizontalis Desf., A. diffusus var. horizontalis (Desf.) A.Gray, A. lateriflorus var. horizontalis (Desf.) Farw., and A. lateriflorus var. pendulus (Aiton) E.S.Burgess. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) presents an Award of Garden Merit as a "seal of approval that the plant performs reliably in the garden." This variety is cultivated and marketed as an ornamental garden plant in Europe and gained this award in 1993.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. spatelliforme (E.S.Burgess) G.L.Nesom was described by Burgess in 1903 as species Aster spatelliformis, making it the basionym of this variety. Burgess' protologue primarily focused on leaf characteristics which he said were how it differed from A. lateriflorus. Leaves were described, in part, as small, rounded, and spatulate-shaped, with fine, reticulate veins and a short wedge-shaped base.
In 1984, Almut Gitter Jones demoted Aster spatelliformis to a variety of A. lateriflorus. Note that it was in 1982 that Löve and Löve began moving species to the genus Symphyotrichum. Two years before, in 1980, Jones had placed Symphyotrichum as a subgenus of Aster. It was not until Nesom's evaluation of Aster sensu lato in 1994 that Jones' subgenus was combined with the genus. After this, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. spatelliforme was created, and the two former taxa became its taxonomic synonyms.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. tenuipes (Wiegand) G.L.Nesom is commonly called slender-stalked calico aster. It was said by American botanists Henry A. Gleason and Arthur Cronquist to be a lax plant, with wiry stems, often larger heads in open panicles, and involucres to 6.5 mm. Wiegand first described it as a variety in 1928, Aster lateriflorus var. tenuipes Wiegand, with slender and "somewhat zigzag" stems, larger heads, and longer rays than the standard form of the species. He attached as holotype a specimen from Dundee, Prince Edward Island, collected in 1912 by Fernald, Long & St. John, stored as no. 814 in the Gray Herbarium.
In 1943, Shinners promoted the variety to species level as Aster tenuipes (Wiegand) Shinners, specifying that it lacked the "pubescent midveins" of A. lateriflorus. This name had been in use since 1898 as Aster tenuipes Makino, native to Japan. The following year, Shinners renamed his to Aster acadiensis Shinners. Nesom created Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. tenuipes when he moved the varieties to genus Symphyotrichum. These three names, Aster lateriflorus var. tenuipes Wiegand, A. tenuipes (Wiegand) Shinners, and A. acadiensis Shinners, are now its taxonomic synonyms.


The following naturally occurring hybrids have been reported:
Symphyotrichum dumosum × S. lateriflorum
Symphyotrichum cordifolium × S. lateriflorum
Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve × S. lateriflorum
Symphyotrichum lanceolatum subsp. lanceolatum × S. lateriflorum
Symphyotrichum puniceum × S. lateriflorum


The specific epithet (second part of the scientific name) lateriflorum is a combination of the Latin words for side (lateri, literally meaning flank) and flower (florum), so named because the flowers are seen to grow on one side of the branches. Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is commonly known as calico aster, starved aster, white woodland aster, side-flowering aster, side-flower aster, goblet aster, one-side aster, one-sided aster, farewell summer, and calico American-aster. Along with other asters that bloom in the fall, S. lateriflorum may be called a Michaelmas daisy. There are indigenous American names for this plant including the Meskwaki word no'sîkûn and the Potawatomi word pûkwänä'sîkûn, both as spelled by ethnobotanist Huron Herbert Smith.
Aster comes from the Ancient Greek word ἀστήρ (astḗr), meaning star, referring to the shape of the flower. The word aster was used to describe a star-like flower as early as 1542 in De historia stirpium commentarii insignes, a book by the German physician and botanist Leonhart Fuchs. An old common name for Astereae species using the suffix -wort is starwort, also spelled star-wort or star wort. An early use of this name can be found in the same work by Fuchs as Sternkraut, translated from German literally as star herb (Stern Kraut). The name star-wort was in use by Aiton in his 1789 Hortus Kewensis. Scientific names that were later changed to be taxonomic synonyms of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum had common names such as diffuse white-flower'd star-wort and pendulus star-wort in this work (Aster diffusus and Aster pendulus, respectively).


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is present in the wild in the United States in all states east of the Mississippi River; in the states on the west Mississippi River bank (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana); and, in the western states of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. It is also present in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. In Mexico, it is present in the state of Veracruz. S. lateriflorum is native throughout its current North American range. The USDA PLANTS Database records a presence in British Columbia, but Flora of North America states that it was an ephemeral there that did not persist. Varietal distributions have been recorded as follows:
S. lateriflorum var. angustifolium is present in Ontario, as well as in the U.S. region of New England except Rhode Island, and in the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Wisconsin.
S. lateriflorum var. flagellare is present in Oklahoma and Texas.
S. lateriflorum var. hirsuticaule is present in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. Because it is considered a taxonomic synonym and not a variety of the species in most databases, United States distribution data cannot be found.
S. lateriflorum var. horizontale is present in New Brunswick, and in all U.S. states east of the Mississippi River excluding Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, and Louisiana. Also present west of the Mississippi in Minnesota, Missouri, and Arkansas.
S. lateriflorum var. spatelliforme is present in Florida.
S. lateriflorum var. tenuipes is present in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.
S. lateriflorum is an introduced species in Belgium, France, Italy, and Switzerland. As of July 2021, it was not on the European Union's List of invasive alien species of Union concern.


Habitat can vary considerably, including wet to dry-mesic woodlands and savannas, floodplain woodlands, fens, marshes, wet to wet-mesic prairies, and high water table old fields. Symphyotrichum lateriflorum has been found on banks, in thickets, and on shores usually in rather dry, but also in damp or even wet, sandy or gravelly soil. S. lateriflorum is categorized on the United States National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) with Wetland Indicator Status Ratings of Facultative Wetland (FACW) and Facultative (FAC), depending on wetland region. In the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain (AGCP) and Northcentral and Northeast (NCNE) regions, it is a Facultative Plant (FAC), choosing wetlands or non-wetlands and adjusting accordingly. In the Eastern Mountains and Piedmont (EMP), Great Plains (GP), and Midwest (MW) regions, it is a Facultative Wetland Plant (FACW), usually occurring in wetlands, but not out of necessity. In these regions, it is less likely to, but may choose non-wetlands.
Companions or associates depend upon the environment where Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is growing. Nearby naturally occurring native North American trees can include silver maple (Acer saccharinum), ash-leaved maple or boxelder (Acer negundo), common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), downy hawthorn (Crataegus mollis), the critically endangered green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), common elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), and the endangered American elm (Ulmus americana). Some companion Symphyotrichum species are Drummond's aster (S. drummondii), shining aster (S. firmum), panicled aster (S. lanceolatum), New England aster (S. novae-angliae), and purplestem aster (S. puniceum).


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is considered a weed species in Canada and the United States. It is not considered a noxious weed in either country. Canadian botanists Jerry G. Chmielewski and John C. Semple called it "probably the least weedy of the weedy aster species in Canada." S. lateriflorum has coefficients of conservatism (C-value) in the Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) that range from 1 to 10 depending on evaluation region. The lower the C-value, the higher tolerance the species has for disturbance. In the case of a low C-value, there is lesser likelihood that the plant is growing in an undisturbed or remnant habitat with native flora and fauna. For example, in the Atlantic coastal pine barrens of Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island, S. lateriflorum has been given a C-value of 1, meaning its presence in locations of that ecoregion provides little or no confidence of a remnant habitat. In contrast, in the Dakotas, S. lateriflorum has a C-value of 10, meaning its populations there are not weedy and are restricted to only remnant habitats which have a very low tolerance to environmental degradation.


Calico aster's primary means of reproduction is through pollination, which occurs with the help of short or mid-length tongued insects that are able to manipulate the small flower heads successfully and transfer pollen from one plant to another. The use of pollen from one plant to fertilize another is called cross-pollination and is required by this species. Any occasional self-pollination produces only a few viable seeds. As an adaptive mechanism, the flower heads of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum "go to sleep" at night. The flower heads close the ray florets around the disk florets. This may help protect and preserve the pollen within. Reproduction also can occur through cloning via the plant's short rhizomatic structure. Typically, this causes the formation of small groups rather than large colonies, because S. lateriflorum is not a large colony-producing species. It is more likely for any vegetative reproduction (non-seed reproduction) to form within a clump.
Ray florets in the Symphyotrichum genus are exclusively female, each having a pistil (with style, stigma, and ovary) but no stamen. Ray florets accept pollen and each can develop a seed, but they produce no pollen. The ray florets of S. lateriflorum bloom earlier and are likely receptive to pollen longer than the disk florets.
Each ray floret has three petals which are fused together to form a corolla. The floret has one ovary at the bottom, and this ovary contains one ovule. The ovary has an attached style that extends outward from between the ray floret corolla and the rest of the flower head. As the ray floret is blooming, the stigma at the top of the style splits into two lobes to allow pollen to access the ovary.
Disk florets in the Symphyotrichum genus are androgynous, each with both male (stamen, anthers, and filaments) and female reproductive parts; thus, a disk floret produces pollen and can develop a seed. The disk floret has five petals, sometimes referred to as lobes, which are fused into its own corolla in the shape of a tube. When the disk floret of S. lateriflorum is blooming, the corolla lobes separate to about 50–75% the length of the corolla.
The male stamen is inside the tube-shaped corolla of the disk floret. It has five anthers, five filaments, and produces pollen. The anthers and filaments are readily visible as separate entities in non-Asteraceae species. Here, they are fused together to form a cylinder, or tube, with their pollen on the inside only. This male anther cylinder surrounds the female style and stigma. As the style is maturing, it elongates up through the anther cylinder, gathering the pollen on its stigma along the way.
The ovary is at the bottom of the disk floret style. As with the ray floret, the disk floret stigma has two lobes that are fused together. The disk floret's stigma stays closed while pollen is on it, keeping its ovary safe from self-pollination. After the pollen has been collected and carried off by one or more pollinators, the stigma begins to split into two lobes, opening the style so that the disk floret ovary becomes accessible to receive pollen from another plant.
When pollination is complete, the seeds become ripe in 3–4 weeks, hardening and developing pappi. They are then wind dispersed. Usually, the seeds will have their dried corollas attached as they depart.


Pollinators and nectar-seekers include short and mid-length tongued insects such as common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens), European honeybee (Apis mellifera), eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons), bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata), cloudy-winged miner bee (Andrena nubecula), the miner bees Pseudopanurgus andrenoides and Pseudopanurgus compositarum, and the apoid wasp Cerceris kennicottii.
Sweat bees and hoverflies also visit the flowers. Some that have been recorded include the bristle sweat bee (Lasioglossum imitatum), Cresson's metallic sweat bee (Lasioglossum cressonii), experienced sweat bee (Lasioglossum versatum), golden green sweat bee (Augochlorella aurata), leathery sweat bee (Lasioglossum coriaceum), nightmare sweat bee (Lasioglossum ephialtum), and pure golden green sweat bee (Augochlora pura). The hoverfly species Eristalis arbustorum, Eristalis dimidiata, and the calligrapher fly (Toxomerus marginatus) also have been recorded visiting the flowers.


Banded woolly bear caterpillars (larvae of the isabella tiger moth Pyrrharctia isabella) eat the leaves, as does the larvae of the green owlet (Leuconycta diphteroides). Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is also host to the pearl crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos) and the silvery checkerspot (Charidryas harrisii). Leaf miners also eat the leaves, including the leaf blotch miner Acrocercops astericola and the "trumpet" leaf miner Astrotischeria astericola. The larvae of the Coleophora silk case-bearing moth Coleophora dextrella feed on the seeds, and the galls produced by the midge Rhopalomyia lateriflori occur in the axillary buds where their larvae can develop. Fungal diseases include the rusts Puccinia dioicae and Puccinia asteris, which can occur on the leaves, and the powdery mildew Erysiphe cichoracearum has been found on plants of S. lateriflorum in Ontario and Quebec.


NatureServe lists Symphyotrichum lateriflorum as Secure (G5) worldwide, and S. lateriflorum var. lateriflorum is Critically Imperiled (S1) in Kansas and Nebraska. S. lateriflorum var. angustifolium is possibly Imperiled (S2) in Kentucky, and S. lateriflorum var. horizontale is Imperiled (S2) in New Jersey.


Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is said to be hardy to USDA Zone 3 (to −40 °C (−40 °F)). An adult plant can be propagated by division of the rootstock, although this is needed only every few years. It will grow well in shade or sun, and in any soil with some moisture.
The earliest record of the species in gardens was of a taxonomic synonym of S. lateriflorum var. horizontale called Aster pendulus. It was cultivated by Philip Miller by 1758. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1722 to 1770. A physic garden is one devoted to medicinal plants. This variety is still often called Aster lateriflorus var. horizontalis and is sometimes labeled in cultivar form as 'Horizontalis'. S. lateriflorum var. horizontale gained the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 1993.
Symphyotrichum lateriflorum var. horizontale is listed as very hardy with RHS Hardiness Rating H7, which is to below −20 °C (−4 °F). The RHS Plant Finder suggests it for flower borders and beds of cottage and informal gardens, growing in an open location with full sun and well-drained moderately fertile soil.


Marketed cultivars of calico aster can be found using common names and the current and previous scientific names. Below is an alphabetical list of some probable or definite cultivars of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum with descriptions and history when available.
'Bleke Bet' reaches a height of 120 cm (4 ft), has dark leaves, and 18 mm diameter flowers with rose to purple centers and white ray florets.
'Buck's Fizz' has 13 mm diameter flowers that have white rays with pink to purple disks, and leaves with "bronze-purple tints". It is reported to reach a maximum height of 60 cm (2 ft).
'Cassiope' is listed as a cultivar of S. lateriflorum var. lateriflorum and is without description in the RHS Plant Finder as of June 2021. It was introduced as early as 1910 as a cultivar of A. vimineus.
'Chaevis Callsope', last listed in the 2000 RHS Plant Finder, is without description as of June 2021.
'Chloe' has an active listing in the RHS Plant Finder as of June 2021.
'Coombe Fishacre', found in the RHS Plant Finder simply as Symphyotrichum 'Coombe Fishacre' without a species name, won the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 1993. It has multiple common or marketing synonyms and is offered both as a cultivar of A. novi-belgii (S. novi-belgii, New York Aster) and as a hybrid of both. RHS shows another synonym, Aster coelestis 'Coombe Fishacre'. A. diffusus var. horizontalis was its parent according to the following passage from the periodical Gardening World Illustrated (1898). That variety is the S. lateriflorum var. horizontale of today.
The comparatively new variety [of Michaelmas Daisy], Coombe Fishacre, which was raised by Mr. Archer Hind, is in magnificent condition at Long Ditton at the present time, and the plants are conspicuous amongst all the rest by reason of their extreme floriferousness. The bronzy-red and white flowers much resemble those of A. diffusus horizontalis, its parent, but they are larger and finer. The height is about 31/2 ft.
'Coombe Fishacre' is said to be hardy to RHS H7, bloom in late summer and autumn, and in 2–5 years reach a height of 50–100 cm (1+3⁄4–3+1⁄4 ft) and width of 10–50 cm (1⁄4–1+3⁄4 ft).
'Daisy Bush' was introduced in 1993 and has green leaves and bushy branches of flower heads that are 20 mm diameter, with white rays and pale yellow disks. It reaches a height of 70 cm (2+1⁄5 ft). It was last listed in the RHS Plant Finder in 1997.
'Datschi' was last listed in the RHS Plant Finder in 2018. According to Paul Picton, author of The Gardener's Guide to Growing Asters, 'Datschi' was introduced before 1920. It has flower heads 13 mm diameter, white rays, pale yellow disk florets that are less likely to change color, deep green leaves, and reaches a height of 120 cm (4 ft). There was a cultivar named Datschi in the RHS Autumn 1919 trials at Wisely assigned to their type diffusus, which is not explicitly said to be an A. diffusus cultivar but is more descriptive of that growing habit. It had single white flowers reported as 3⁄8–1⁄2 inch diameter that bloomed from 23 October 1919–5 November 1919, and it reached a height of 4 feet.
'Delight' was last listed in the RHS Plant Finder in 2007. An old cultivar, this compact plant was introduced before 1902. The flower heads are 13 mm diameter with white reflexed rays and creamy-yellow disks, and it reaches a height of 90 cm (3 ft).
'Golden Rain' is listed as a cultivar of S. lateriflorum var. lateriflorum and is without description in the RHS Plant Finder as of February 2021. Picton lists it as a cultivar of A. vimineus "with creamy-white ray florets and deep yellow disks" that was introduced around 1910 by H.J. Jones from his Lewisham nursery. It reaches a height of 45 cm (1+1⁄2 ft).
'Jan', introduced in 1992, has large flower heads for a cultivar of this species at 30 mm diameter. Reaching a height of 80–100 cm (2+1⁄2–3+1⁄4 ft), it has green leaves with white and lilac blooms.
'Lady in Black' was introduced in 1991. It has bronze and dark purple leaves with flowers that have white rays and "rosy-pink" centers. It reaches a height of 100–150 cm (3+1⁄4–5 ft) and width of 50–100 cm (1+3⁄4–3+1⁄4 ft) in 2–5 years, and is hardy to RHS H7.
'Lovely' is listed in the RHS Plant Finder as of June 2021.
'Orphir' is listed as a cultivar of S. lateriflorum var. lateriflorum and is without description in the RHS Plant Finder as of February 2021. Picton lists it as a cultivar of A. vimineus dating to as early as 1910.
'Prince', introduced circa 1970, is compact at a height of 60 cm (2 ft). It has dark purple foliage with 13 mm diameter flower heads.
'Prince Charming' is listed as a cultivar of S. lateriflorum var. lateriflorum and is without description in the RHS Plant Finder as of June 2021. Picton lists 'Prince Charming' as a cultivar of A. vimineus dating to as early as 1910.
'Rubrifolius' was last listed in the 2001 RHS Plant Finder. Translated from Latin, rubri folium means red leaf or red foliage. No information was readily available about this cultivar as of January 2021.
'Valentin' is described in the Dutch magazine TUINSeizoen as a cultivar with white to pale lilac flowers that bloom September–November, with an adult height of about 76 cm (2+1⁄2 ft). It is hardy to −30 °C (−22 °F) and does best in an open sunny location with well-drained moderately fertile and moist soil.


Repeated branching of the veins on the leaf so that they look like a net.
To convert millimeters to inches, divide the number of millimeters by exactly 25.4.
See Asteracae § Flowers for more detail.
Outside range about 6–25.
Outside range about 6–20.
All species in the Symphyotrichum genus have disk florets that mature to a pink, purple, or light brown. This is not unique to calico aster.
There are 5 lobes on the disk florets of all species in Symphyotrichum genus.
Aiton was excluding a species named Aster ericoides Meliloti agrariae umbone and drawn by German botanist Johann Jacob Dillenius in his 1732 Hortus Elthamensis. Linnaeus referenced it as the species he named Aster miser. See  and  for details.
Joseph Richmond Churchill of Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Information about and image of this holotype is viewable online at the Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries Digital Collections (huh.harvard.edu) — Specimens, Barcode 00263144.
An infraspecies is a taxon below the species rank. It can be a subspecies, variety, subvariety, form, or subform, and a species can have multiple infraspecies.
Merritt Lyndon Fernald, Bayard Henry Long, and Harold St. John.
Information about this holotype (without image) is viewable online at the Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries Digital Collections (huh.harvard.edu) — Specimens, Barcode 00936398.
Asteraceae ovaries are called inferior because each has one ovule and can produce only one seed. See also Asteraceae § Floral structures and Gynoecium.


Symphyotrichum novi-belgii (formerly Aster novi-belgii), commonly called New York aster, is a species of flowering plant. It is the type species for Symphyotrichum, a genus in the family Asteraceae, whose species were once considered to be part of the genus Aster. Plants in both these genera are popularly known as Michaelmas daisy because they bloom around September 29, St. Michael’s Day.
The Latin specific epithet novi-belgii (literally "New Belgium") refers not to modern Belgium, but the 17th century Dutch colony New Netherland which was established on land currently occupied by New York state (as Belgica Foederata was the Latin term for the United Netherlands at the time).
Symphyotrichum novi-belgii grows in abandoned fields and wet meadows in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.


New York aster is native to eastern Canada and the eastern United States.


This is the largest group of Michaelmas daisies, with over 1,000 named cultivars. They are valued for their late summer color in shades of blue, pink and white. They are best planted in an open, sunny position, and they are susceptible to fungal infections, especially if conditions are not ideal. The cultivars 'Coombe Fishacre' and 'Fellowship' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.


The Latin-derived specific epithet novi-belgii means "from New York", which was formerly named Novum Belgium ("New Belgium").


Symphyotrichum pilosum (formerly Aster pilosus), commonly called hairy white oldfield aster or frost aster, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to central and eastern North America. It is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach 20 to 120 centimeters (8 to 47 inches) tall. Its flowers have white ray florets and yellow disk florets.


Symphyotrichum pilosum is native to central and eastern North America where it is found in Canada and the United States. It is widespread and common throughout its range. Its natural habitat includes communities such as prairies, open woodlands, and outcrops. In general, it responds positively to disturbance, and is often seen occupying sunny, weedy habitats.


Two varieties are recognized, although determining the best taxonomy for this group is difficult due to polyploidy and hybridization. The two currently recognized varieties are as follows:
S. pilosum var. pilosum — stems and leaves hairy, widespread and often weedy
S. pilosum var. pringlei — commonly called Pringle's aster and named for American botanist Cyrus Guernsey Pringle; stems and leaves mostly smooth, found on alvars, cedar glades, and sand dunes


Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei and its cultivar 'Ochtendgloren' have both won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.


Symphyotrichum puniceum (formerly Aster puniceus), is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to eastern North America. It is commonly known as purplestem aster, red-stalk aster, red-stemmed aster, red-stem aster, and swamp aster. It also has been called early purple aster, cocash, swanweed, and  meadow scabish.
Its range extends from the edges of the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast, and from the Gulf coast of Texas north to southern Ungava Bay in the north of Quebec. It is adventive in Europe.


Symphyotrichum puniceum produces flowers between August and October. The ray florets range from dark blue or purple to white (rarely). The disc florets are yellow to cream-colored, becoming pink or purple with maturity.


Symphyotrichum puniceum is a variable species, and many forms have been named. As of July 2021,  Plants of the World Online (POWO) accepts one variety in addition to the autonym. S. puniceum var. scabricaule (Shinners) G.L.Nesom occurs in the southern United States from Texas to Alabama. The autonym, S. puniceum var. puniceum, occurs in most of the eastern United States and southern Canada.
The species Symphyotrichum firmum is sometimes considered a variety of S. puniceum, but POWO and Flora of North America treat them as distinct species. In 1999, Calvin College botanists David P. Warners and Daniel C. Laughlin gave evidence that they should be considered two distinct species. Compared to S. firmum, Symphyotrichum puniceum is typically hairier, with purpler flowers, and does not form dense colonies but rather small clusters or scattered individuals.
Hybrids between this species and Symphyotrichum boreale have been recorded and are called Symphyotrichum × longulum.


As of July 2021, NatureServe listed Symphyotrichum puniceum as Secure (G5) worldwide and Critically Imperiled (S1) in Mississippi. It listed S. puniceum var. puniceum as Vulnerable (S3) in Kentucky, and S. puniceum var. scabricaule as overall an Imperiled Variety (T2) and Critically Imperiled (S1) in Texas.


Symphyotrichum puniceum has been used for medicinal purposes among indigenous people in North America. It has been documented that the Chippewa have smoked the root with tobacco to attract game. Multiple uses have been reported for the Woodland Cree, including as an aid for tooth pain and for healing a woman after childbirth. The Iroquois have used the roots for healing of various ailments including colds, fevers, pneumonia, typhoid, and tuberculosis.


Symphyotrichum subulatum (formerly Aster subulatus), commonly known as eastern annual saltmarsh aster or, in Britain and Ireland where it is naturalized, annual saltmarsh aster, is an annual plant in the family Asteraceae native to the eastern United States and the Gulf Coast to Texas. The species grows primarily in coastal salt marshes, although in the Ozarks it occurs as a non-marine weedy variety.


Symphyotrichum subulatum is an annual forb that possesses a single erect stem that can reach up to 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) in height. The stem, along with its thin green to dark green leaves, are both hairless. The sheathing base-blades of the leaves are ovulate, and the margins are entire.
The top of the stem extends into a raceme inflorescence. The heads open up into bright yellow disc florets that are surrounded by ray florets that vary in color from white to lavender.


Symphyotrichum subulatum is a terrestrial species that will typically grow among grasses of any kind. It is found in salt marshes, pond margins, sloughs, swamps, crop field margins, lawns, and roadsides. It is thought to be especially prevalent in these areas because of a tolerance to saline soils and mowing. It is native to the eastern and Gulf Coast areas of the United States. It is also common across Mexico, the West Indies, Bermuda, Central America, and South America, depending on variety.


According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, eastern annual saltmarsh aster can be planted to attract butterflies and has value for native bees.


Symplocarpus foetidus, commonly known as skunk cabbage or eastern skunk cabbage (also swamp cabbage, clumpfoot cabbage, or meadow cabbage, foetid pothos or polecat weed), is a low growing plant that grows in wetlands and moist hill slopes of eastern North America.  Bruised leaves present an odor reminiscent of skunk.


Growing from a rhizome which is often 30 cm (1 ft) thick, the plant produces large leaves, each 40–55 cm (16–22 in) long and 30–40 cm (12–16 in) wide. It flowers early in the spring when only the flowers are visible above the mud. The stems remain buried below the surface of the soil with the leaves emerging later. The flowers are produced on a 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long spadix contained within a spathe, 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tall and mottled purple in colour.


The eastern skunk cabbage is native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia and southern Quebec west to Minnesota, and south to North Carolina and Tennessee. It is protected as endangered in Tennessee. Its habitats include stream banks, wet woodlands, and wet areas such as swamps.


Breaking or tearing a leaf produces a pungent but harmless odor, the source of the plant's common name; it is also foul smelling when it blooms. The plant is not poisonous to the touch. The foul odor attracts its pollinators: scavenging flies, stoneflies, and bees. The odor in the leaves may also serve to discourage large animals from disturbing or damaging this plant, which grows in soft wetland soils.
Eastern skunk cabbage is notable for its ability to generate temperatures of up to 15–35 °C (59–95 °F) above air temperature by cyanide resistant cellular respiration in order to melt its way through frozen ground, placing it among a small group of thermogenic plants. Even though it flowers while there is still snow and ice on the ground, it is successfully pollinated by early insects that also emerge at this time. Some studies suggest that beyond allowing the plant to grow in icy soil, the heat it produces may help to spread its odor in the air. Carrion-feeding insects that are attracted by the scent may be doubly encouraged to enter the spathe because it is warmer than the surrounding air, fueling pollination.
Eastern skunk cabbage has contractile roots which contract after growing into the earth. This pulls the stem of the plant deeper into the mud, so that the plant in effect grows downward, not upward. Each year, the plant grows deeper into the earth, so that older plants are practically impossible to dig up. They reproduce by hard, pea-sized seeds which fall in the mud and are carried away by animals or by floods.
Some blowflies, such as Calliphora vomitoria are known pollinators of skunk cabbage.


In the 19th century the U.S. Pharmacopoeia listed eastern skunk cabbage as the drug "dracontium". It was used in the treatment of respiratory diseases, nervous disorders, rheumatism, and dropsy. In North America and Europe, skunk cabbage is occasionally cultivated in water gardens. Skunk cabbage was used extensively as a medicinal plant, seasoning, and magical talisman by various tribes of Native Americans. The thoroughly dried young leaves are quite good reconstituted in soups or stews.  The thoroughly dried rootstocks can be made into a pleasant cocoa-like flour.


Symplocos tinctoria (the common sweetleaf, horse-sugar, or yellowwood) is a deciduous or evergreen shrub or tree. It is recognized by pith of twigs chambered; by foliage not notably aromatic when bruised, leaves finely hairy beneath. Shrubs or trees to 17 m tall by 36 cm DBH. The largest first-year twigs are under 3 mm across, terminal buds with acute tip, scales ciliate. Leaves are 7–15 cm long, margin entire or occasionally some teeth on the apical half, with a sweet taste that may be faint in old leaves. It is conspicuous when in flower; flowers opening before new leaves develop, fragrant, in clusters from axils of previous year's leaves or from just above the leaf scars if the leaves have fallen; the petals are creamy yellow to yellow, with one pistil. Fruits nearly cylindrical to ellipsoid drupes 8–12 mm long, with thin pulp and a hard stone containing 1 seed; the tip usually retaining parts of the sepals. Foliage is relished by browsing wildlife. A yellow dye may be obtained from bark and leaves. It flowers Mar to May.


A yellow dye was once made from the bark and leaves. The bark was used as a tonic by early American settlers.


Syncerus is a genus of African bovid that contains the living Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), including the distinct African forest buffalo.
At least one extinct species belongs to this genus; Syncerus acoelotus. The extinct giant African buffalo (Syncerus antiquus) is also included in this genus by many authorities.


Synchlora aerata, the wavy-lined emerald moth or camouflaged looper, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. The species was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1798. It is found in most of North America.
The wingspan is about 17 mm. Adults are green with scalloped or wavy white transverse lines.
The larvae feed on a wide variety of plants, including the flower heads of composite flowers and other flowering plants, as well as shrubs and trees. Recorded food plants include Aster, Rudbeckia, Liatris, Solidago, Artemisia, Achillea and Rubus species. They attach bits of the plant tissue on which they are feeding along their backs. The species overwinters as a partially grown larva.


Synchlora aerata aerata (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Arkansas, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland)
Synchlora aerata albolineata Packard, 1873 (from Newfoundland to Alberta and south to Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Maine, New England, Massachusetts, northern Connecticut. It is also found in southern Manitoba)
Synchlora aerata liquoraria Guenée, 1857 (from California, Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia and Alberta. It is also found in South Dakota)


Syngamia florella, the orange-spotted flower moth or red waisted florella moth, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It was described by Caspar Stoll in 1781. It is found from South Carolina to Florida and from Arkansas to Texas, south to the West Indies and through Mexico to Argentina. It is also found on Bermuda.
The wingspan is about 15 mm. Adults are dark brown with yellow patches on both the forewings and hindwings. They are on wing from July to December in most of the range, but have only been recorded from September to December in Florida.
The larvae feed on Borreria brachysepala, Spermacoce laevis and Spermacoce tetraquetra.


Syntomeida epilais, the polka-dot wasp moth or oleander moth, is a species of moth thought to be native to the Caribbean. Its larvae feed on the oleander plant. Like most wasp moths, these are day fliers.
They prefer Neotropic areas, to which they are native. The North American subspecies is S. epilais jucundissima, which is locally common in all areas of Florida, and has been seen as far north as South Carolina, and west to Mississippi and Texas.


They are dark metallic blue with white polka-dots on the wings and upper abdomen, and the tip of the abdomen is bright red. This mimicry makes it look like a dangerous wasp, while in fact being a harmless moth. The caterpillars are orange or dark orange with long black hairs making the caterpillars look dangerous, but the setae do not inflict any harm.


Females contact male polka-dot wasp moths by means of ultrasonic signals. On the branch, the sound travels, and then the male follows the sound to his new mate. When he reaches her, he emits an answering signal. After mating, the females find a plant on which to lay their eggs. Groups of from 12 to 75 eggs are laid on the undersides of the oleander leaves. The spherical eggs are pale cream to light yellow in color; each is less than 1 mm in diameter.


The larvae stage of the polka-dot wasp moth, commonly called the oleander caterpillar, is widely known for its gluttonous appetite. The caterpillar feeds in almost any location (excepting California) where its food, the oleander plant, can be found. They are gregarious and can cause damage from minor to severe. It may also feed on devil's potato plants, which are believed to be its native food before the oleander plant was introduced to the Americas by Spanish settlers in the seventeenth century. They also feed on desert rose plants.


Syntomeida epilais epilais
Syntomeida epilais jucundissima Dyar, 1907 (Florida, Georgia)


Syntomoides imaon, the handmaiden moth, is a moth of subfamily Arctiinae, subtribe Ctenuchina. The systematics of the subfamily has been revised. It was described by Pieter Cramer in 1780. It is well distributed in Sikkim, Khasi hills and throughout India Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Hong Kong, Viet Nam.


The moth has a wingspan of 34 mm. The frons and collar are yellow with the metathorax having a yellow streak. The first abdominal segment has a yellow band which is sometimes obsolescent. The forewing has large hyaline patches, one filling the cell, another filling nearly the whole interno-median interspace, one at junction of veins 2 and 3, two subapical, and two submarginal. In the form S. i. sargania, there is a long streak between veins 5 and 6. In others it is reduced to a spot or may be lacking entirely. The hindwing has a postbasal hyaline patch extending hardly (or not at all) beyond the cell. The tips of the antennae and proximal joints of the tarsi are white. The spots of the forewing vary considerably in size. The male individual is slender and long abdomen than female.


Syrbula admirabilis, known generally as admirable grasshopper, is a species of slant-faced grasshopper in the family Acrididae. Other common names include the handsome grasshopper and handsome locust. It is found in Central America and North America.


Syringa vulgaris, the lilac or common lilac, is a species of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae, native to the Balkan Peninsula, where it grows on rocky hills. Grown for its scented flowers in spring, this large shrub or small tree is widely cultivated and has been naturalized in parts of Europe, Asia and North America. It is not regarded as an aggressive species. It is found in the wild in widely scattered sites, usually in the vicinity of past or present human habitations.


Syringa vulgaris is a large deciduous shrub or multistemmed small tree, growing to 6–7 m (20–23 ft) high. It produces secondary shoots from the base or roots, with stem diameters up to 20 cm (8 in), which in the course of decades may produce a small clonal thicket.  The bark is grey to grey-brown, smooth on young stems, longitudinally furrowed, and flaking on older stems. The leaves are simple, 4–12 cm (2–5 in) and 3–8 cm broad, light green to glaucous, oval to cordate, with pinnate leaf venation, a mucronate apex, and an entire margin. They are arranged in opposite pairs or occasionally in whorls of three. The flowers have a tubular base to the corolla 6–10 mm long with an open four-lobed apex 5–8 mm across, usually lilac to mauve, occasionally white. They are arranged in dense, terminal panicles 8–18 cm (3–7 in) long. The fruit is a dry, smooth, brown capsule, 1–2 cm long, splitting in two to release the two-winged seeds.


Syringa vulgaris was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and the description was published in Species Plantarum. The Latin specific epithet vulgaris means "common" (in the sense of "widespread").


Lilacs—both S. vulgaris and S. × persica the finer, smaller "Persian lilac", now considered a natural hybrid—were introduced into northern European gardens at the end of the 16th century, from Ottoman gardens, not through botanists exploring the Balkan habitats of S. vulgaris. The Holy Roman Emperor's ambassador, Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, is generally credited with supplying lilac slips to Carolus Clusius, about 1562. Well-connected botanists, such as the great herbalist John Gerard, soon had the rarity in their gardens: Gerard noted that he had lilacs growing "in very great plenty" in 1597, but lilacs were not mentioned by Shakespeare, and John Loudon was of the opinion that the Persian lilac had been introduced into English gardens by John Tradescant the elder. Tradescant's Continental source for information on the lilac, and perhaps ultimately for the plants, was Pietro Andrea Mattioli, as one can tell from a unique copy of Tradescant's plant list in his Lambeth garden, an adjunct of his Musaeum Tradescantianum; it was printed, though probably not published, in 1634: it lists Lilac Matthioli. That Tradescant's "lilac of Mattioli's" was a white one is shown by Elias Ashmole's manuscript list, Trees found in Mrs Tredescants Ground when it came into my possession (1662): "Syringa alba".
In the American colonies, lilacs were introduced in the 18th century. Peter Collinson, F.R.S., wrote to the Pennsylvania gardener and botanist John Bartram, proposing to send him some, and remarked that John Custis of Virginia had a fine "collection", which Ann Leighton interpreted as signifying common and Persian lilacs, in both purple and white, "the entire range of lilacs possible" at the time.
It is also slowly making its way into the world of bonsai where it is loved for its flowers and multistem features.


The lilac is a very popular ornamental plant in gardens and parks, because of its attractive, sweet-smelling flowers, which appear in early summer just before many of the roses and other summer flowers come into bloom.
In late summer, lilacs can be attacked by powdery mildew, specifically Erysiphe syringae, one of the Erysiphaceae. No fall color is seen and the seed clusters have no aesthetic appeal.
Common lilac tends to flower profusely in alternate years, a habit that can be improved by deadheading the flower clusters after the color has faded and before seeds, few of which are fertile, form. At the same time, twiggy growth on shoots that have flowered more than once or twice can be cut to a strong, outward-growing side shoot.
It is widely naturalised in western and northern Europe. In a sign of its complete naturalization in North America, it has been selected as the state flower of the state of New Hampshire, because it "is symbolic of that hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State". Additional hardiness for Canadian gardens was bred for in a series of S. vulgaris hybrids by Isabella Preston, who introduced many of the later-blooming varieties. Their later-developing flower buds are better protected from late spring frosts. The Syringa × prestoniae hybrids range primarily in the pink and lavender shades.