PLANT PROFILE

Symphyotrichum subulatum
eastern annual saltmarsh aster


Symphyotrichum subulatum Symphyotrichum subulatum
Photos Courtesy Renee Brecht
Britton & Brown
Botanical name: Symphyotrichum subulatum
Common name: eastern annual saltmarsh aster
Group: dicot
Family: Asteraceae
Growth type: forb/herb
Duration: perennial
Origin: native
Plant height: 1 - 3'
Foliage: leaves narrowly lance shaped, 2-10" long
Flower: pale pink to purplish or white, under 1/2" wide
Flowering time: August to October
Habitat: salt marshes
Range in New Jersey: southernmost coastal counties, and northeastern coastal counties
Heritage ranking, if any: n/a
Distribution:
Misc.: Can be distinguished from the perennial species by its roots system; S. tenuifolium has a fibrous root system, unlike the taproot of S. subulatum.

The flowerhead of subulatum  is also smaller. On the left, S. tenuifolium; on the right, S. subulatum: