#swamp aster

Symphyotrichum puniceum / Purplestem Aster

Aside from New England aster, purple-stemmed aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum), also known as purplestem aster, red-stemmed aster, and swamp aster, has the largest flowerheads of any Symphyotrichum in the Central Appalachians. A lover of marshes and streambanks, this tall, rangy perennial reaches up to seven feet in height and is instantly recognizable by its deep-red, slightly hairy stems. In late summer to early fall, purple-stemmed aster produces long panicles of gorgeous, lavender-petaled flowers with bright yellow disk florets. The panicles eventually start to droop from the weight of their massed flowers, giving the plant its rangy-looking growth habit.

Appalachia’s Late Summer Gifts, Panel 3: Last days and fond farewell.

Above are a few late season gems from my trip up the Highland Scenic Highway (top to bottom): (1) a marshy area along the Cowpasture Trail at Cranberry Glades; (2) the ever-gorgeous purplestem aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum), also known as swamp aster; (3 - 4) a lavender-phased variation of narrowleaf gentian (Gentiana linearis), perhaps the loveliest and most delicate of all the autumn wildflowers in these mountains; (5 - 6) the more broadly-leaved closed bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii), quite striking in its own right; (7) red-belted conk (Fomitopsis pinicola), a shelf fungus parasitic on conifers; the brilliant red “haws” (berries) of dotted hawthorn (Crataegus punctata), which are edible and have a tangy-sweet flavor; a grandly-beautiful field thistle (Cirsium discolor) gone to seed; and the ripe, tart berries of large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), the only healthy thing I snacked on all day (the wild berries are a hundred times more pucker-worthy than the commercially-grown ones).

This specimen was found growing on a full sun lakeside in Northern New Jersey. The water levels in this lake typically vary enough yearly to cause this stretch of lakeside to avoid the dreaded landscaper's mower (which is great news for the ecology and people like me who are always searching for niche habitats). Plants I see growing here are Joe Pye Weed, Speckled Alder, Cattails, Black willow, Nodding Beggartick and some Goldenrods. In the image below you can actually see an arrowhead leaf mixed within the aster, those are tubers preferred by waterfowl like ducks, the plant is partially protected by the less edible aster. Iroquois writtings describe using the roots of these plants in tobacco mixtures and as medicines (I don't advocate consuming these in unfamiliar contexts due to the heavy pollution in American waterways). This image was taken in early October of 2022.