WHERE’S WILDLIFE • WILDFLOWER FIELD GUIDE

Drummond’s Aster

Symphyotrichum drummondii

Also known as hairy heart-leaved aster · Aster drummondii

Pale lavender flowers brighten woodland edges in late summer and autumn. Winged leaf stalks and hairy foliage help distinguish Drummond’s Aster from similar woodland asters.

Drummond’s Aster in the field. Select a photograph to enlarge.

NATIVE • WILDFLOWER

At a glance

Family Asteraceae
Life cycle Perennial
Blooms August–October
Height About 1½–4 ft
Light & soil Partial sun or light shade; well-drained, moderately moist to somewhat dry soil

Common names
Drummond’s Aster · Hairy Heart-leaved Aster

Height and flowering season vary with location and growing conditions.

Range Map

Reported sightings may include cultivated plants.

Field photographs

Nine field photographs showing flowers, growth form, toothed leaves and leaf attachments. Select any image to enlarge.

How to recognize it

Look for alternate, toothed leaves with pointed tips. Lower and middle leaves can have heart-shaped or rounded bases; leaves become smaller and narrower toward the flowering branches.

The leaf stalks have green wings, often broader higher on the stem. Short hairs are especially noticeable on the upper stems. A useful additional check is the leaf underside: hairs extend across the surface, not only along the veins.

Use these features together. Pale purple flowers alone do not separate the woodland asters.

Where and when to look

Look along woodland trails, open deciduous woods, savannas, thickets and partly shaded edges. Plants occur on loamy or rocky ground, including moderately moist to dry sites.

In the Midwest, flowering usually runs from late summer into autumn, often August through October. Lower leaves may already be worn or withering by flowering time.

Range & sightings

Native to the central and eastern United States, including Wisconsin and Illinois. Its range extends from Pennsylvania west to southern Minnesota and south toward Georgia and Texas.

The observation map shows reported sightings, which can include cultivated plants.

Similar species: Blue Wood Aster

Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) has similar flowers and heart-shaped leaves. Its leaf stalks are usually unwinged or only narrowly winged, and its foliage is generally less hairy.

Drummond’s Aster typically combines more conspicuously winged stalks with hairy upper stems and hairy leaf undersides. White Arrowleaf Aster (S. urophyllum) can also have winged stalks, so that feature alone is not decisive.

For a stronger identification, photograph a middle stem leaf with its entire stalk, the underside of that leaf, and the green bracts beneath a flower head.

Late-season flowers for insects

The flower heads supply nectar and pollen to bees and other visiting insects. Watch for flies, butterflies and small wasps moving among the blooms.

Changing flower centers

A single cluster can contain yellow-centered and reddish-purple-centered heads. The disk florets change color as the heads age; this does not indicate different species growing together.

Sources & further reading

University of Waterloo, Astereae Lab — Drummond’s Aster

Illinois Wildflowers — description and ecology

Missouri Plants — identification photographs

Keep learning

Compare Blue Wood Aster, browse the other asters, or practice with the Wildflower Quiz.

Drummond’s Aster