Michaelmas-daisy - Symphyotrichum

Michaelmas-daisies are garden plants, mostly form North America, that have escaped into the wild and become naturalised.  There are several different species, hybrids and cultivars, and to identify them to correct species requires examination of the specimen by an expert. 

Species include Symphyotricum novi-belgii, S. lanceolatum and S. laeve, with hybrids that show every grade of variation between parent species.  Stace notes that S x salignus (a hybrid between S. novi-belgii and S. lanceolatum) is the commonest naturalised Michaelmas-daisy in Britain, and can reproduce from seed.  It has narrow leaves that barely clasp the stem, but there are also differences in the phyllaries.

The typical plant grows to about 1 metre in height and has daisy type flowers varying from white to pale lilac to a deeper purple in colour. The leaves and stems can be glaucous or hairy or with glandular hairs, depending on the species or hybrid. 

This can be recorded on NatureSpot as genus only.  If you have followed the key in Stace (4th edition) and have identified it to species/hybrid level, this information can be put in the notes, together with details of verification by one of our county or national expert recorders.

Usually occurs as a naturalised garden escape and often close to habitation. Waste ground, rubbish tips, roadside and railway verges are all possible locations.

Flowering time: August to October.

Perennial.

Widespread and fairly frequent as an established plant in the wild in Britain.  

Sympyotrichum is relatively common in VC55.  (note that it is listed as Aster in older publications)

In the current VC55 checklist (Jeeves, 2011), Aster lanceolatus is given as 'Rare'; Aster novi-belgii as 'Occasional', and Aster x salignus as 'Rarely recorded'.