Aster is a herbaceous plant; let us get to know this common ornamental flower

The family and genus of aster

Aster, a herbaceous plant, belongs to the genus Aster in the family Asteraceae.

Other names for aster

Aster, also known as annual aster, is also called Jiangxi wax, July chrysanthemum, and Gesang flower.

The origin of aster

It is produced in Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China. It grows on hillside wasteland, hillside grass, beside water or in the shade of sparse forest, at an altitude of 30-2700 m.

In Japan and Korea, there are extensive cultivated and wild types, and botanical gardens in the Soviet Union and other European countries have introduced it as an ornamental flower.

Morphological characteristics of aster

Annual or biennial herb, about 30-100 cm tall. The stem is erect, solitary, with white rough hairs, and the base diameter is 6-7 mm.

The capitulum is solitary, 6-8 cm in diameter, the flower bud is hemispherical, and the flower colors are rich, including red, pale red, blue, yellow or pale blue-purple.

The achene is long elliptical oblanceolate, relatively flat, and falls off very easily. The flowering and fruiting period of aster is from May to October.