Purple Stemmed Aster
Asters are one of the last plants to remain in flower in the autumn. Asters are composite flowers, meaning what looks like an individual flower is actually a cluster of tiny tubular flowers in a central disc, surrounded by flat ray flowers. It's interesting to watch how the centers change from yellow to red, brown or purple after they have been pollinated by bees, wasps, flies, beetles and butterflies.
The purple-stemmed aster is a pale violet flower commonly found in wet areas in Pennsylvania. Both the common name and its Latin name (Aster puniceus) are fitting. “Puniceus” means “Phoenician purple,” and indeed it almost always has a purple, bristly stem, serving as one distinguishing characteristic in comparison to crooked-stem aster. The width of the purple-stemmed aster flower heads ranges from 1 to 1.6 inches. It has toothed leaves that clasp the stem in an alternating pattern. This native perennial grows 2-8 feet high.
Today's photo was taken at WPC's Sideling Hill Creek Center pond by Mandy Smith.
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