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| ## new england aster {#new-england-aster .Title-Header}               |
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| *Symphyotrichum novae-angliae* (L.) Nesom                             |
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| Plant Symbol = SYNO2                                                  |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Elsberry Plant Materials Center

![](media/image2.wmf){width="2.592361111111111in"
height="3.4604166666666667in"}

##### Alternate Names {#alternate-names .Header-3}

Aster, starwort, first flower

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

New England aster can be used for roadside plantings, prairie
restoration, wildlife cover, prairie landscaping and wetland situations.

##### 

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

New England aster is a native perennial forb which grows from 2 ½ to 6.0
feet tall with hairy stems and leaves. The alternate leaves are up to 4
inches long and 1 inch wide, with broad, clasping bases and pointed
tips. The individually stalked flower heads are in an open, rounded
cluster at the tops of the main stem branches. The flower stalks and
bracts at the base of each flower head are covered with gland-tipped
hairs. Each head is about 1 ½ inches wide, with 40 or more bright
purple, petal-like ray flowers surrounding a central yellow disk. The
ray flowers are sometimes pinkish purple or pale lavender in color. New
England aster is the showiest of the genus, and stand out on roadside
shoulders and ditches from August through late October

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

New England aster grows in prairie swales, wet meadows, alluvial soils
and thickets, low fields in valleys, and moist ground along streams. It
ranges from Quebec to Alberta, south to North Carolina, Alabama,
Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page
for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Prepare a clean weed free seedbed by disking and harrowing or using
chemical weed control. Firm the seedbed by cultipacking. Seedbed should
be firm enough to allow seed to be planted 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. The
seed of New England aster needs cold stratification for maximum
germination if seeded in spring or summer (34-40 degrees Fahrenheit for
30-40 days). Use a planter that insures proper seeding depth and good
seed and soil contact like a brillion roller that is capable of handling
and placing seed in a uniform manner. There are approximately 1,100,000
seeds in a pound of New England aster.

Seeding rates for New England aster:

For seed production:

Solid stand -- 40 pure live seed (PLS) in a

36-inch row; - .53 pounds PLS/acre.

Prairie planting: mixture -- 1 -- 5 PLS per square foot (0.04 to 0.20)
pound PLS per acre.

Use no fertilizer the establishment year unless soil test indicates a
low deficiency of less than 15 PPM of phosphorus and or less than 90 PPM
of potassium. Use no nitrogen during the establishment year as this can
encourage weed competition.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Reduce weed competition by mowing over the height of the New England
aster plants or cultivating between the rows. Use a non- selective
contact herbicide while dormant or a pre emergent herbicide to control
annuals after the New England aster is established. Remove dead plant
material in the spring for faster green-up by shredding. Burning of dead
plant refuge can weaken the plants unless done before it has broken
dormancy.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

The most destructive diseases in the cultivation of asters are various
forms of stem-rot. They are of fungus origin and are induced by allowing
the plants to remain moist too long at a time.

The infection usually takes place in the seed-row, but often no effect
is noticed until the plants are nearly full-grown, when they suddenly
wilt and die. The "yellow disease" causes the plants to have a bleached
appearance and to make a spindling growth. Thorough cultivation of the
soil is the best preventive.

##### Environmental Concerns {#environmental-concerns .Header-3}

New England aster is not known to invade in areas where this species
does not naturally occur.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

According to the publication entitled 'Improved Conservation Plants
Materials Released by NRCS and Cooperators through September 2001',
there are no cultivars, source identified, selected or tested class
releases of New England aster from the Plant Materials Program.

#####  Prepared By & Species Coordinators:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinators .Header-3}

*Steven Bruckerhoff*, *Jerry Kaiser*, *Jimmy Henry*, Elsberry Plant
Materials Center, Elsberry, Missouri

##### Edited: 21nov2003 jlk; 060817 jsp {#edited-21nov2003-jlk-060817-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*