Symphyotrichum dumosum (L.) G.L. Nesom
Bushy American-aster, long-stalked aster, rice button aster
Bushy asters are North American natives.
Plants: 1–4′ (30–121 cm) high, branching rather sparsely into long branches. Stems vary from hairless at the base to more hairy toward stem tips.
Leaves: Deep green, alternate, untoothed, and very thin, lanceolate to linear, or narrowly oval to elliptic, 1¼–4″ (3.2–10 cm) long.
Flowers: There are many flowers, but each tips a separate branch with its own leaflets and they are spread along branches, not clustered at major branch ends. The flowers therefore look evenly distributed, not densely clustered as in most asters. Individual flowers are white or pale blue/purple, ½–¾″ (1.3–1.9 cm) in diameter, with 13-30 rays. Central disks are yellow, reddening with age. Blooms appear from August to October.
Fruits: Small bullet-shaped achenes with attached tufts of hair are distributed by the wind. Each achene has 3-5 prominent ribs, and is pale pink to straw-colored.
Habitats: Fields, woodlands, sandy open sites, marshy ground.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 22
10/3/2010 
ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Symphyotrichum | From Greek symphysis, “borne together or growing together, coalescing,” and trichinos, “hair, a single hair” |
| Species | dumosum | “Bushy, shrubby” |
Symphyotrichum dumosum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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