| Author | (Michaux) G.L. Nesom | |
| Distribution | Central and southern Mountains and uppermost Piedmont, as far as we know. Records and specimens from the Coastal Plain are misidentifications of E. paludosa or E. compacta. Records from Henderson, Polk, and Rutherford counties need to be carefully vetted against E. spectabilis.
Western VA and southeastern KY, south to northern GA and eastern TN. | |
| Abundance | Uncommon to locally common. The NCNHP removed the species from its Watch List in 2022, as it appears to be numerous enough to no longer need such listing. | |
| Habitat | Granitic domes and granitic outcrops in shallow soil; also on roadside slopes, along logging roads, dry roadbanks, and borders of pine stands. It clearly favors dry and often sandy or rocky soil, in full to partial sun. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late August-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).
This species has features of both E. paludosa and E. spectabilis. The elongate leaves of some (but not all) plants recalls the former, while plants with shorter and blunter leaves recall the latter. Weakley (2018) and Cronquist (1980) state that it has far fewer and less obvious glandular dots on the flower bracts as compared to the latter. In general appearance, it is a rather short plant, mostly under 1 foot tall; it has elliptical basal leaves and a few smaller stem leaves, with a rather flat to rounded inflorescence of a few lavender- to purple-rayed flowers. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | Formerly treated as Aster surculosus.
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| Other Common Name(s) | None. The name of Creeping Aster seems to be a misnomer, as there is nothing creeping or sprawling about the plant. | |
| State Rank | S3 | |
| Global Rank | G4G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
