FNPS Plant Database

Symphyotrichum chapmanii

savannah aster
  • Photo by: Jeannie Brodhead, Saracennia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

savannah aster

Synonym(s):

Aster chapmanii

Genus species:

Symphyotrichum chapmanii

Family:

Asteraceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Flower

Size:

1–3 ft tall ,

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

bright lavender

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Blooms August-November

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Bog gardens, sunny areas with moist soil. Only likely to be noticed when blooming.

Considerations:

Availability:

FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Seeds, cuttings.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Usually moist, occasional inundation

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Unknown

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
Click a county The county name will appear here.
No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Birds

Nectar plant for many butterfly species but also visited by other native insect pollinators.

Small birds eat the seed.

Native Habitats:

Wet flatwoods, bogs, savannahs, prairies

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Based on the BONAP range map, this species is a "near endemic" -- it occurs only in the panhandle and a 3 counties in southern Alabama. At this time, the Florida Plant Atlas shows two outlying collections. One (Alachua County) appears to have been removed by the herbarium that "has" the specimen, the other (St. Lucie County) is a 1980 literature citation with apparently no specimen. Neither is shown on our map.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

BONAP Plant Atlas. (2014). ( https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Symphyotrichum%20chapmanii.png ). Accessed 2025. Biota of North America Program, Chapel Hill, NC.


Hammer, Roger. (2018). Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers. Falcon Guides, Guilford, CT.


Huegel, Craig N. (2012). Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Nelson, Gil. (2005). East Gulf Coastal Plain Wildflowers. Falcon Guides, Guilford, CT.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

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