DRUMMOND'S ASTER
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Symphyotrichum drummondii   (Lindl. ) G.L. Nesom
[=Aster drummondii  Lindl.]
Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 2 - 4 feet tall
Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Flowering Period:   September,October
Stems: Erect, stout, covered with a fine, gray pubescence above the middle.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, on stalks, ovate; to 5.5 inches long and 2.5 inches wide but generally smaller, rough above, finely hairy below; bases mostly heart-shaped; margins toothed; tips pointed.
Inflorescences: Panicle-like clusters, open, branches spreading; heads up to 150.
Flowers: Bracts overlapping; bases whitish; tips conspicuously green; ray florets 12-20, about 1/4 inch long, pale bluish to lavender; disk florets yellowish.
Fruits: Achenes, tipped with many white bristles, enclosing small seed.
Habitat: Openings in wooded areas, on dry or rocky soils.
Distribution: East third of Kansas.
Comments: Aster comes from a Greek word for star, in reference to the shape of the flowers.
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