Flower profile

Late purple aster

Symphyotrichum patens

Late purple aster (Symphyotrichum patens) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly September–November across the U.S.

Native to Arkansas

Late purple aster is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arkansas it's most often seen in bloom in September–October.

31states where USDA records it

624AR sightings*

3,293U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arkansas

Quick look

Symphyotrichum patens, commonly known as late purple aster or spreading aster, is a perennial, herbaceous plant found in the eastern United States.
From Wikipedia's article Symphyotrichum patens, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 31 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arkansas. ^NatureServe
In Arkansas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in September–October. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 624 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #86 among the 170 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Arkansas, most flowering sightings come in September–October.

Flowering records by month in Arkansas (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (89 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: ME (SX). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records late purple aster in 31 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Benton, Boone, Bradley, Carroll, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Cross, Dallas, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Perry, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Yell.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 774 counties across 28 states; the most are in Missouri (69), Virginia (69), North Carolina (58).

Other Symphyotrichum on Bloomipedia (3): New England aster, Southern annual saltmarsh aster, Heath aster.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More Arkansas flowers

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

★ MD state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in AR: May–July

Late boneset

Eupatorium serotinum

Native

🌼 Blooms in AR: August–October

Bitterweed

Helenium amarum

Native

🌼 Blooms in AR: June–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SYPA11.
iNaturalist, Symphyotrichum patens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Symphyotrichum patens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Symphyotrichum patens (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Ken Clark via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.