PINELAND ASTER 



Aster squarrosus Walter 



Some of the southern asters are very different in appearance from 

 the common forms of the North, and one of the most curious is the 

 pineland aster. It is common in many parts of Florida, growing in the 

 sandy pine lands, which seem dry in winter, but are very wet in the 

 rainy summer. The slender plants are one to two feet high, with stiff, 

 brittle stems, which are usually much branched, and often form dense 

 tangled masses. The most striking characteristic of this species is its 

 minute leaves, which are extremely numerous, and spreading, or often 

 reflexed. It flowers in autumn, like most asters, but continues in bloom 

 throughout the winter. 



The pineland aster ranges through most of Florida and northward 

 to the coast of North Carolina. 



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