Family:  Compositae

Common Names:  Aster or Christmas Daisy because it blooms late in the year.

Habitat:  Woods and shady places

Growing Season:  August - October.

Plant Size:  1-5 feet tall

Significant Characteristics/Features for Identification:  The aster has thin petals that come in a variety of colors.  They come in all sorts of shades of blues, purples, and white.  They usually have a lot of leaves.  The leaves can be short, long, wide, narrow, or any combination of the four.

Uses:  The wide-leaves of the aster's can be used for salad.

Folklore:  The aster was created when Virgo looking down from heaven wept.  The Greek made wreathes from aster blossoms and placed them on altars for special occasions.  In France, asters were known as the eye of Christ.  They burned them to keep away evil spirits.