Lindley’s Aster

Symphyotrichum ciliolatum

Pollinator Value

🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Andrena asteris, Andrena canadensis, Andrena hirticincta, Andrena nubecula, Andrena placata, Andrena simplex, Colletes americanus, Colletes compactus, Colletes simulans, Pseudopanurgus aestivalis, Pseudopanurgus andrenoides
S17 genus-level Symphyotrichum specialists with Eastern NA ranges

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 both Ontario and Quebec (S5/S5). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Widespread across boreal and mixed-wood forests of Canada from Yukon to the Maritimes.
S22+S26
Rarity Ranks: QC S5 – Secure, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Lindley's aster occupies rich, open boreal deciduous forests (aspen, aspen-birch-fir-spruce), forest edges, clearings, and thickets, often in calcareous substrates. In the Ottawa Valley it is found in sandy to loamy soils along woodland borders, trails, and roadsides. It is a characteristic species of northern Mixed Wood Shield communities, frequently associated with Populus tremuloides, Solidago spp., and Corylus cornuta.
S6+S7+S48

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: spines? (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [MEDIUM]: S68 3 bee associations (threshold=3)]

Category: Ophthalmology, Stimulant
S4 eye drops from boiled roots; smoke from burning roots to revive unconscious persons
Notes: Native peoples boiled the strongly scented roots to make eye drops and used smoke from burning roots to revive people who had fainted in sweat baths (Kershaw). No records in Moerman NAEB database under this binomial, likely recorded under former name Aster ciliolatus.
S4+S28

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No documented edible uses found in ethnobotanical or horticultural literature.
S28+S29