Crooked-stem Aster

September 24, 2025

So many species of Asters decorating the roadside coming up the mountain. This one is Crooked-stem Aster (Symphyotrichum prenanthoides). It gets its common name from its stems which change direction at each node, where a leaf emerges.

Like other Asters, this one is made up of many many tiny flowers called florets, arranged in a daisy-like appearance. There are ray florets which are lavender, light blue, or white. In the center are disk florets that are off-white, yellow, purple, or brown. Native to northcentral and northeastern North America.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.