Common name:
Confused michaelmas daisy
Family:
Scientific name:
Symphyotrichum novi-belgii
Synonym:
Aster novi-belgii
Main flower color:
Range:
Most parts of England, Scotland and Wales; an introduced species, from the US
Height:
Up to 100 cm
Habitat:
Waste and disturbed ground, river banks, lake margins
Flowers:
Flowerheads contain between 15 and 35 light purple ray florets and between 30 and 60 disc florets, yellow maturing to red or purple then brown. Phyllaries are in three or four rows; they are dark green with white (hyaline) margins, which are often wider towards the base. Phyllaries are narrow, linear to narrowly oblanceolate in shape, and approximately equal in length. Flowerheads are arranged in open clusters
Leaves:
Lanceolate to narrowly ovate, up to 15 cm long and 4 cm wide, lined by small, well-separated teeth. Clasping at the base, pointed at the tip. On stout, often reddish stems, hairless or hairy only in vertical lines, towards the base
Season:
July to October
Rarity:
★★★★★
