White Panicled Aster

Symphyotrichum lanceolatum

Pollinator Value

🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Andrena asteris, Andrena hirticincta, Andrena nubecula, Andrena canadensis, Colletes simulans, Colletes compactus, Melissodes druriellus
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 nationally secure in both Canada (N5) and the United States (N5). S5 in Ontario. Not listed under SARA. SNR in Quebec reflects uncertain provincial status rather than rarity; 945 QC specimens in GBIF and 16 QC herbarium records in CNH/MT suggest the species is present but formally unranked.
S22+S26+S48+S54
Rarity Ranks: QC SNR – Not Ranked, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: One of the commonest asters of moist open ground, found along shores, river banks, forest edges, swamps, meadows, ditches, and swales. Frequently colonizes disturbed sites such as old railroads and roadsides. Forms large colonies from long-creeping rhizomes in sunny settings. FACW wetland indicator reflects preference for saturated to seasonally flooded soils. Common in Ottawa (S62) with 277 herbarium specimens in the home ecoregion (5.2.3).
S7+S11+S62+S48

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: Tolerates juglone, making it suitable for planting near black walnut. Also tolerates limestone conditions and transplantation. Spreads by rhizome to stabilize moist disturbed soils, functioning as a living groundcover in wet guild edges.
S3+S46

Category: Dermatological Aid, Hemostat, Febrifuge
S28 Zuni Drug (Dermatological Aid x2, Hemostat x1), Iroquois Drug (Febrifuge x1)
Notes: Zuni used a decoction of the plant to dress arrow or bullet wounds, and applied dried, pulverized plant to abrasions from ceremonial masks. Smoke from crushed blossoms was inhaled for nosebleed. Iroquois prepared an infusion of the plant combined with another plant for fevers.
S28

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No food uses documented in Moerman or PFAF. All ethnobotanical records for this species are medicinal (Drug category only).
S28+S29