Native Plant of the Week: Stiff Aster

Family: Asteraceae

Name: Ionactis linariifolia

Bloom Time: August - October

Flower: Purple (sometimes white or pink)

Soil Condition: Average-dry-moist

Light: Sun-Partial Shade

Height: 12-20" tall by 12" wide

Native Range: Eastern United States including Long Island

Zone: 4-9

The stiff aster is an underutilized native plant that is at home in a sunny or partially sunny border. The needle-like foliage and tidy form make it a great edger. It is also a nice addition to rock gardens.

Photo: Flowers and form (Pauline Singleton CC BY-NC 4.0)

Maintenance: cut back in June as this is an earlier blooming variety of aster

Benefits: Attracts native bees and specialists, butterflies and beetles, host plant to the silvery checkerspot and pearl crescent butterflies

Companion Plants: Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed), Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot), Heliopsis helianthoides (False Sunflower), Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple Love Grass), Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem)

=============================================================

References:

1. https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/flax_aster.htm

2. https://newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=398

#pollinatorplants #gardeningwithnativeplants #indigenousplants #nativeplants #rockgardens