Symphyotrichum sericeum
Species of flowering plant in family Asteraceae
Symphyotrichum sericeum (formerly Aster sericeus) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to central North America. Commonly known as western silver aster, western silvery aster, and silky aster, it is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach 70 centimeters (2+1⁄4 feet) tall. Its flowers have purple ray florets and pink then purple disk florets, and its leaves are firm and silvery-green.
Description
Symphyotrichum sericeum is a perennial herb growing from rhizomes that may reach 70 centimeters (2+1⁄4 feet) tall. Leaf texture is sericeous, giving the leaves a silvery-green appearance. The inflorescences are erect and parallel, and the involucral bracts of the flower heads are ovate to lanceolate in shape and sericeous. The flowers have purple ray florets and pink then purple disk florets. The fruit is a cypsela.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to central North America in the states and provinces of Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Manitoba, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
It can be found in dry sandy or partially sandy, limestone, or calcareous soil at elevations of 100–500 meters (330–1,640 feet) or higher.
The public source identifies “Symphyotrichum sericeum” as species of flowering plant in family Asteraceae. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Symphyotrichum, sericeum and Species.
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A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Symphyotrichum sericeum”, the useful work is to connect “species of flowering plant in family Asteraceae” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7661737. The Library of Congress control number is sh2018000271. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Symphyotrichum sericeum” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.