White Heath Aster

Symphyotrichum ericoides

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Agnorisma badinodis, Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria
S13+S15 2 verified Eastern NA
🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Andrena hirticincta, Andrena nubecula, Andrena asteris, Colletes simulans, Colletes compactus, Melissodes druriellus
S17 genus-level Symphyotrichum specialists with Eastern NA ranges overlapping ON/QC

Proximity Score: 1
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: S
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.1 – Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands
Rarity Notes: Globally secure (G5) and secure in Ontario (S5). Ranked SNA in Quebec where VASCAN considers it introduced. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. In the Ottawa area, Brunton (2005) records it as RS (regionally significant) at seven sites including Marlborough Forest and Long Swamp, suggesting it is uncommon but not imperiled locally.
S22 S26 S62
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A prairie and grassland perennial of dry, sandy, open habitats. In the Ottawa region it occurs at scattered sites on sandy or gravelly ground, roadside embankments, and alvars with thin soil over limestone. Typical associates include Solidago spp., Poa compressa, and other prairie-edge forbs. Its late-season bloom (Aug-Oct) makes it an important nectar source for pre-hibernation bumble bee queens and migrating butterflies.
S62 S7 S61 S64

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: spines? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]

Category: Herbal Steam, Stimulant
S28 Moerman Drug categories: Herbal Steam, Stimulant (Meskwaki)
Notes: The Meskwaki used this species in the sweatbath (herbal steam) and as a stimulant to revive unconscious patients. Both uses were documented by Huron H. Smith in 1928 from Meskwaki ethnobotanical knowledge. No modern pharmacological studies are available for this species.
S28

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No food uses are documented for this species. Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany Database records only medicinal (drug) uses by the Meskwaki, with no entries in the Food category.
S28