| Author | Nesom | |
| Distribution | Coastal Plain, Sandhills, and lower Piedmont. Likely absent from the far northeastern counties.
Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont, NJ to east-central GA. | |
| Abundance | Uncommon to locally fairly common in the Coastal Plain and Sandhills; uncommon in the eastern Piedmont. | |
| Habitat | Openings in dry to mesic pine-oak-hickory woodlands, Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) uplands and dry flatwoods, woodland borders, powerlines, roadsides. In the Piedmont mainly along the borders of pine stands. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late July - early October. | |
| Identification | The genus Eurybia has been split from Aster (now Symphyotrichum). Variation among species of each genus requires several steps in a key to split members of the two genera apart (see genus key in Weakley 2018).
Slender Aster is a short species, at most to 1.5 feet tall, usually a foot or less. Leaves lack stalks and are narrowly elliptic, 2-6 cm long, usually without teeth. The inflorescence is rather flat-topped, with lavender rays and yellow disks. The leaves are rather thick and the plant has a somewhat stiff aspect, perhaps an adaptation to its dry soil habitats.This aster prefers acidic soil but in dry to mesic conditions, usually not far from pine stands. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | Formerly treated as Aster gracilis.
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| Other Common Name(s) | None | |
| State Rank | S3? [S4] | |
| Global Rank | G4G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
