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Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

Formerly classified as Aster cordifolius, this native, found along forest edges and ledges in the eastern half of North America,* would be a welcome addition in a residential shade garden. When summer flowers are fading through mid fall, the delicate blue flowers of this prolific bloomer attract numerous pollinators.
*It is native in DC. In DE, it is uncommon in the Piedmont and rare in the Coastal Plain. It is scattered throughout PA but mostly clustered in the southeastern and southwestern counties of the State. In VA, it is common in the mountains, frequent in the Piedmont, and infrequent to rare in the Coastal Plain.
Can you name the fruit of blue wood aster and other fruits of the Asteraceae?
Learn more about Symphyotrichum cordifolium and about cypsela.