Mountain wood aster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mountain wood aster |
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The Mountain wood aster (scientific name: Eurybia chlorolepis) is a special plant that grows back every year. It is also known as the mountain aster or Appalachian heartleaf aster. This plant is native, meaning it naturally grows, in the southeastern United States. You can find it only in very high places in the Appalachian Mountains. While it's not in serious danger overall, it can be rare or even gone from some local areas in the southern part of its range.
What is the Mountain Wood Aster?
The Mountain wood aster can grow up to 80 centimeters (about 32 inches) tall. It spreads out using underground stems called rhizomes. This helps new plants grow nearby.
Each plant usually has one main stem. This stem can become a bit woody as the plant gets older. One plant can produce up to 25 flower heads. These flowers grow in a flat-topped group.
The flowers of the Mountain wood aster appear in late summer and continue into the fall. Each flower head has two main parts. It has 8 to 20 white or light purple ray florets. These are the petal-like parts that look like rays. In the center, there are 12 to 26 yellow disc florets. These are tiny flowers packed together in the middle.
Where Does It Grow?
The Mountain wood aster lives in the southern part of the Appalachian Mountains. This area is in the southeastern United States.
You can find this plant growing from western Virginia and southern West Virginia. It stretches south through eastern Tennessee and the western parts of North Carolina and South Carolina. It also grows into the northeastern corner of Georgia.
This aster likes to grow in high places. It can be found at elevations from about 1200 to 2000 meters (4000–6600 feet) above sea level. It often lives in cool, mixed forests. These include special forests with red spruce and Fraser fir trees.
