Aster alpinus

Aster alpinus, the alpine aster or blue alpine daisy,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the mountains of Europe (including the Alps), with a subspecies native to Canada and the United States. This herbaceous perennial has purple, pink or blue flowers in Summer..

Aster alpinus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Asterales
Family:
Asteraceae
Tribe:
Astereae
Genus:
Aster
Species:
A. alpinus
Binomial name
Aster alpinus
Synonyms[1]
  • Aster alpinus var. dolomiticus (Beck) Onno
  • Aster alpinus subsp. vierhapperi Onno
  • Aster fallax Tamamsch.
  • Aster garibaldii Brügger
  • Aster korshinskyi Tamamsch.
  • Aster serpentimontanus Tamamsch.

Description
A. alpinus attracts an insect to it and it is sucking nectar.

It grows to be about 6–12 inches tall (15–30 cm). The bloom color may be pink, violet-lavender, or white-near white. In the UK this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3]

It grows very slowly in clay, silt, loam, silty clay, sandy clay etc. types of soil. Its minimum pH scale is 6 and maximum pH scale is 7.5. It grows erectly in a 'single crown' form.

Ecology

It does better in generally cooler climates. Usually it is adapted to clay, silt, loam, silty clay, sandy clay, clay loam, silt loam, sandy loam, silty clay loam and sandy clay loam soils, and prefers low fertility. The plant can tolerate only a minimum temperature of -28 °C / -18.4F after the occurrence of cell damage. It can survive medium heat of fire and requires at least 90 frost free days for proper growth. It is herbaceous and attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds.

Conservation

In Canadian provinces, towards eastern North America, the species is critically imperiled. However, in both Canadian provinces and US states, at north-western and southern parts, the species is apparently secure.[4]

References
  1. "Aster alpinus". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  2. A. alpinus at USDA Plants Profile
  3. "RHS Plant Selector - Aster alpinus". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  4. NatureServe Explorer Timeout Page
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