Flat-top Aster (Doellingeria umbellata)

Flat-top Aster (Doellingeria umbellata)      

Flat-top aster (Doellingeria umbellata) typically grows two to five feet tall, forming upright clumps that broaden slowly but usually stay within one to two feet across. Its small, daisy-like flowers are white with yellow centers, each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch across, arranged in flat-topped clusters at the tops of the stems. The leaves are three to six inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide, lanceolate-elliptic, with smooth margins, a medium to dark green upper surface, and a pale green to whitish underside. Flat-top aster thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist to wet soils. It is commonly found in wet sand prairies, damp thickets, wet meadows, and along the borders of swamps. It grows well in slightly acidic, sandy loam soils and tolerates a range of moisture conditions as long as the site remains consistently damp.

Sources:

Flora of North America – Doellingeria umbellata

Wisconsin State Herbarium – Doellingeria umbellata

USDA Plants Database – Doellingeria umbellata

Prairie Moon Nursery – Flat-top Aster

Illinois Wildflowers – Flat-topped White Aster

(SF)