Flat-topped White Aster

Doellingeria umbellata

Ecology & Conservation

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Globally secure (G5) and secure in Ontario (S5). Not ranked in Quebec (SNR) but well-documented with 728 QC herbarium specimens and 20 CNH records. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Common throughout its range in eastern North America.
S22 G5, S5 ON, SNR QC; S48 728 QC specimens; S26 not SARA listed
Rarity Ranks: QC SNR – Not Ranked, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Flat-topped white aster occupies moist to wet openings in mixed forests, swamp margins, sedge meadows, and thickets throughout the Algonquin/Southern Laurentians ecoregion. It favours FACW conditions on sandy-loam or peaty substrates, often in calcareous fens or alongside streams. In the Ottawa-Gatineau area it is common in both forested wetland edges and disturbed clearings, forming small rhizomatous colonies in partial shade to full sun.
S7 moist forests, swamps, thickets; S10 wet-moist sand prairies, fens; S62 Common in Ottawa; S11 FACW

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: spines? (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: Juglone tolerance makes this species valuable near black walnut (Juglans nigra) where many other plants struggle. Its FACW moisture preference and rhizomatous habit make it an effective ground-holder in rain garden and bioswale plantings. Tolerates limestone conditions, transplantation, and foot traffic around the plant.
S3 juglone tolerant, limestone tolerant, transplant tolerant; S11 FACW

Category: Gastrointestinal Aid, Ceremonial Medicine
S28 Mohegan gastrointestinal aid; Potawatomi witchcraft/ceremonial medicine
Notes: The Mohegan prepared an infusion of leaves as a gastrointestinal aid, reported to be good for the stomach. The Potawatomi used the flowers as a smudge to repel evil spirits from the sickroom, a ceremonial-medicinal application. Only two ethnobotanical records exist, both from Algonkian-speaking peoples.
S28 Mohegan leaf infusion for stomach; Potawatomi flower smudge for sickroom

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No food uses are documented for this species. Moerman's ethnobotanical database records only medicinal and ceremonial uses, with no edible applications by any Indigenous group.
S28 no food category uses; S29 no edible uses