187 Species in Genus Aster

All About Asters: A Gardener’s Guide by Ferb Vu

Asters are a personal favorite. These late-blooming beauties bring vibrant colors to the garden when many other flowers are fading. They’re easy to grow, come in a vast array of varieties, and attract beneficial pollinators – what’s not to love?

What are Asters?

Asters are a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae family, which also includes daisies, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums. Native to Eurasia and North America, there are over 600 known Aster species, offering a dazzling range of colors, sizes, and bloom times.

Aster Species

1. Aster ageratoides Turcz.
2. Aster aitchisonii Boiss.
3. Aster alatipes Hemsl.
4. Aster albescens (DC.) Wall. ex Hand.-Mazz.
5. Aster alpinus L.
6. Aster altaicus Willd.
7. Aster amellus L.
8. Aster arenarius (Kitam.) Nemoto
9. Aster argyropholis Hand.-Mazz.
10. Aster asagrayi Makino
11. Aster asteroides (DC.) Kuntze
12. Aster atropurpurea W.P.Li & G.X.Chen
13. Aster auriculatus Franch.
14. Aster baccharoides Steetz
15. Aster barbellatus Grierson
16. Aster batangensis Bureau & Franch.
17. Aster bellidiastrum (L.) Scop.
18. Aster biennis Ledeb.
19. Aster bietii Franch.
20. Aster bipinnatisectus Ludlow ex Grierson
21. Aster boweri Hemsl.
22. Aster brachytrichus Franch.
23. Aster brevicaulis W.P.Li
24. Aster brevis Hand.-Mazz.
25. Aster bulleyanus Jeffrey
26. Aster chekiangensis (C.Ling ex Y.Ling) Y.F.Lu & X.F.Jin
27. Aster chingshuiensis Y.C.Liu & C.H.Ou
28. Aster chuanshanensis W.P.Li
29. Aster crenatifolius Hand.-Mazz.
30. Aster danyangensis Jae Y.Kim & G.Y.Chung
31. Aster dianchuanensis J.W.Xiao & W.P.Li
32. Aster dimorphophyllus Franch. & Sav.
33. Aster diplostephioides (DC.) Benth. ex C.B.Clarke
34. Aster dolichophyllus Y.Ling
35. Aster dolichopodus Y.Ling
36. Aster eligulatus (Y.Ling ex Y.L.Chen, S.Yun Liang & K.Y.Pan) Brouillet, Semple & Y.L.Chen
37. Aster eremophilus Bunge
38. Aster falconeri (C.B.Clarke) Hutch.
39. Aster fanjingshanicus Y.L.Chen & D.J.Liu
40. Aster farreri W.W.Sm. & Jeffrey
41. Aster filipes J.Q.Fu
42. Aster flaccidus Bunge
43. Aster formosanus Hayata
44. Aster fulgidulus Grierson
45. Aster fuscescens Bureau & Franch.
46. Aster giraldii Diels
47. Aster glehnii F.Schmidt
48. Aster gouldii C.E.C.Fisch.
49. Aster gracilicaulis Y.Ling ex J.Q.Fu
50. Aster guanwuensis S.S.Ying
51. Aster handelii Onno
52. Aster hayatae H.Lév. & Vaniot
53. Aster helenae Merr.
54. Aster heliopsis Grierson
55. Aster hersileoides C.K.Schneid.
56. Aster heterolepis Hand.-Mazz.
57. Aster himalaicus C.B.Clarke
58. Aster hispidus Thunb.
59. Aster holohermaphroditus (Grierson) R.Abid & Qaiser
60. Aster hololachnus Y.Ling ex Y.L.Chen, S.Yun Liang & K.Y.Pan
61. Aster homochlamydeus Hand.-Mazz.
62. Aster huangpingensis W.P.Li & Zhi Li
63. Aster hunanensis Hand.-Mazz.
64. Aster hypoleucus Hand.-Mazz.
65. Aster iinumae Kitam.
66. Aster ilanmontanus S.S.Ying
67. Aster incisus Fisch.
68. Aster indamellus Grierson
69. Aster indicus L.
70. Aster ionoglossus Y.Ling ex Y.L.Chen, S.Yun Liang & K.Y.Pan
71. Aster itsunboshi Kitam.
72. Aster jeffreyanus Diels
73. Aster jiangkouensis X.L.Yu & Xiong Li
74. Aster jiulongshanensis Z.H.Chen, X.Y.Ye & C.C.Pan
75. Aster kanoi S.W.Chung, W.J.Huang & T.C.Hsu
76. Aster kantoensis Kitam.
77. Aster komonoensis Makino
78. Aster koraiensis Nakai
79. Aster labrangensis Hand.-Mazz.
80. Aster langaoensis J.Q.Fu
81. Aster latibracteatus Franch.
82. Aster lautureanus (Debeaux) Franch.
83. Aster lavandulifolius Hand.-Mazz.
84. Aster likiangensis Franch.
85. Aster limosus Hemsl.
86. Aster lingii G.J.Zhang & T.G.Gao
87. Aster lingulatus Franch.
88. Aster lipskii Kom.
89. Aster lixianensis (J.Q.Fu) Brouillet, Semple & Y.L.Chen
90. Aster lushiensis (J.Q.Fu) Brouillet, Semple & Y.L.Chen
91. Aster maackii Regel
92. Aster mangshanensis Y.Ling
93. Aster marchandii H.Lév.
94. Aster medius (Krylov) Serg.
95. Aster megalanthus Y.Ling
96. Aster menelii H.Lév.
97. Aster meyendorffii (Regel & Maack) Voss
98. Aster microcephalus (Miq.) Franch. & Sav.
99. Aster miquelianus H.Hara
100. Aster miyagii Koidz.
101. Aster molliusculus (Lindl. ex DC.) C.B.Clarke
102. Aster mongolicus Franch.
103. Aster morrisonensis Hayata
104. Aster motuoensis Y.L.Chen
105. Aster moupinensis (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.
106. Aster nakaoi Kitam.
107. Aster neoelegans Grierson
108. Aster nigromontanus Dunn
109. Aster nitidus C.C.Chang
110. Aster oldhamii Hemsl.
111. Aster oliganthus W.P.Li & Zhi Li
112. Aster oreophilus Franch.
113. Aster ovalifolius Kitam.
114. Aster panduratus Nees ex Walp.
115. Aster pekinensis (Hance) F.H.Chen
116. Aster philippinensis S.Moore
117. Aster piccolii Hook.f.
118. Aster poliothamnus Diels
119. Aster polius C.K.Schneid.
120. Aster popovii Botsch.
121. Aster prainii (J.R.Drumm.) Y.L.Chen
122. Aster procerus Hemsl.
123. Aster pseudosimplex Brouillet, Semple & Y.L.Chen
124. Aster pujosii Quézel
125. Aster pycnophyllus Franch. ex W.W.Sm.
126. Aster pyrenaeus Desf. ex DC.
127. Aster quanzhouensis M.Tang, G.J.Yan & W.P.Li
128. Aster retusus Ludlow
129. Aster rockianus Hand.-Mazz.
130. Aster rugulosus Maxim.
131. Aster salwinensis Onno
132. Aster sampsonii Hemsl.
133. Aster sanczirii Kamelin & Gubanov
134. Aster sanqingshanicus J.W.Xiao & W.P.Li
135. Aster satsumensis Soejima
136. Aster savatieri Makino
137. Aster saxicola W.P.Li & Z.Li
138. Aster scaber Thunb.
139. Aster × sekimotoi Makino
140. Aster semiamplexicaulis (Makino) Makino ex Koidz.
141. Aster semiprostratus (Grierson) H.Ikeda
142. Aster senecioides Franch.
143. Aster setchuenensis Franch.
144. Aster shimadae (Kitam.) Nemoto
145. Aster sikkimensis Hook.f. & Thomson
146. Aster sikuensis W.W.Sm. & Farrer
147. Aster sinianus Hand.-Mazz.
148. Aster sinoangustifolius Brouillet, Semple & Y.L.Chen
149. Aster siyuanensis S.S.Ying
150. Aster smithianus Hand.-Mazz.
151. Aster sohayakiensis Koidz.
152. Aster souliei Franch.
153. Aster spathulifolius Maxim.
154. Aster sphaerotus Y.Ling
155. Aster stracheyi Hook.f.
156. Aster sugimotoi Kitam.
157. Aster taiwanensis Kitam.
158. Aster takasago-montanus Sasaki
159. Aster taliangshanensis Y.Ling
160. Aster taoshanensis S.S.Ying
161. Aster taoyuenensis S.S.Ying
162. Aster tataricus L.f.
163. Aster techinensis Y.Ling
164. Aster tenuipes Makino
165. Aster tianmenshanensis G.J.Zhang & T.G.Gao
166. Aster tientschwanensis Hand.-Mazz.
167. Aster tonglingensis G.J.Zhang & T.G.Gao
168. Aster tongolensis Franch.
169. Aster tricephalus C.B.Clarke
170. Aster trichoneurus Y.Ling
171. Aster trinervius Roxb. ex D.Don
172. Aster turbinatus S.Moore
173. Aster velutinosus Y.Ling
174. Aster verticillatus (Reinw.) Brouillet, Semple & Y.L.Chen
175. Aster vestitus Franch.
176. Aster viscidulus (Makino) Makino
177. Aster vvedenskyi Bondarenko
178. Aster wattii C.B.Clarke
179. Aster willkommii Sch.Bip.
180. Aster woroschilovii Zdor. & I.I.Shapoval
181. Aster xianjuensis Y.F.Lu, W.Y.Xie & X.F.Jin
182. Aster yakushimensis (Kitam.) Soejima & Yahara
183. Aster yamazutae Matsuda
184. Aster yomena (Kitam.) Honda
185. Aster yoshinaganus (Kitam.) Mot.Ito & Soejima
186. Aster yuanqunensis (J.Q.Fu) Brouillet, Semple & Y.L.Chen
187. Aster yunnanensis Franch.

Aster vs Daisy

Asters and daisies are often confused, and it’s understandable. Both have cheerful, daisy-like flowers with central discs and radiating petals. However, there are subtle distinctions:

• Petals: Aster petals tend to be slender and more numerous than daisy petals.
• Centers: Aster centers are typically yellow or orange, while daisy centers can vary in color.
• Bloom Time: Asters generally bloom in late summer and fall, whereas daisies flower throughout the growing season.

Aster vs Mum

Asters and mums (chrysanthemums) are close relatives and share similar growing requirements. They can be beautiful companions in the fall garden. However, note that some Aster varieties may bloom earlier than mums. Planting varieties with staggered bloom times ensures a continuous display of color.

Aster vs Chamomile

Chamomile‘s delicate flowers and soothing scent made it a charming addition next to Aster, creating a calming atmosphere.

Aster vs Morning Glory

Morning Glory‘s rapid growth and colorful blooms overshadowed Aster, adding a splash of vibrancy to my outdoor space.

How to care for Asters?

Asters are generally low-maintenance plants. Here’s what you need to know:

• Light: Most Asters prefer full sun, but some tolerate partial shade.
• Soil: Well-drained, fertile soil is ideal. Amending clay soil with compost can improve drainage.
• Watering: Water regularly, especially during dry spells. Avoid soggy conditions.
• Fertilizing: A light application of balanced fertilizer in spring is beneficial.
• Deadheading: Regularly removing spent flowers encourages continued blooming.

Pests and Diseases

Asters are relatively pest- and disease-resistant. However, they can be susceptible to powdery mildew in humid conditions. Ensuring good air circulation and avoiding overhead watering can help prevent this.

Using Asters in Your Garden

Asters are incredibly versatile. Here are some ideas:

• Borders: Plant taller varieties at the back of borders for a stunning late-season display.
• Cutting Garden: Asters make excellent cut flowers, lasting up to two weeks in a vase.
• Pollinator Magnets: Asters attract butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.
• Containers: Dwarf varieties are perfect for adding bursts of color to patios and balconies.

Aster Propagation:

• Division: Asters can be easily propagated by dividing established clumps in spring or fall. Simply dig up the plant, carefully separate the root sections, and replant each division.
• Seed Starting: While possible, starting Asters from seed can be trickier and takes longer to see blooms. For best results, sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost and transplant seedlings outdoors once the danger of frost has passed.

Overwintering Asters:

• Most Aster varieties are hardy in zones 3-8. If you live in a colder climate, you can protect your Asters by mulching around the base of the plant in late fall after the first frost.

Specific Aster Care Needs:

• Pinching: For bushier plants with more flowers, pinch back the growing tips of young Aster plants to encourage branching.
• Staking: Taller varieties may benefit from staking to prevent them from flopping over, especially during heavy rains.

Aster Companion Plants:

• Coneflowers (Echinacea): These purple beauties bloom alongside Asters in late summer and fall, creating a stunning color combination.
• Goldenrod (Solidago): The golden plumes of goldenrod provide a warm contrast to Aster flowers and attract similar pollinators.
• Grasses (Ornamental Grasses): Ornamental grasses add textural interest and movement to the garden, complementing the form of Asters.

Conclusion: A Gardener’s Delight

Asters are a rewarding addition to any garden. With their diverse forms and vibrant blooms, they provide a welcome splash of color when other flowers are fading. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, Asters are sure to become a favorite. So, get planting and enjoy these late-blooming beauties!