Calico Aster
Symphyotrichum lateriflorum
- Plant Type
- Forb (Deciduous)
- Landscape Layer
- Herb
- Sun
- ☀️ Full Sun, ⛅ Part Sun, ☁️ Shade
- Moisture
- 💧 Regular
- Soil
- Clay, Loam, Sand, Silt, Rocky / Acidic, Organic / Peat, Calcareous
- Bloom
- August, September, October
- Sociability
- S2 – Small groups
Pollinator Value
- 🐛 Larval Host
- Agnorisma badinodis, Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria
- 🐝 Specialist Bee Host
- Andrena asteris, Andrena canadensis, Andrena hirticincta, Andrena nubecula, Andrena placata, Andrena simplex, Colletes americanus, Colletes compactus, Colletes simulans, Melissodes druriellus, Melissodes trinodis, Perdita octomaculata, Pseudopanurgus aestivalis, Pseudopanurgus andrenoides
S17 Fowler Symphyotrichum specialists with eastern NA ranges including states adjacent to ON/QC
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 nationally secure in both Canada (N5) and the United States (N5). Ontario rank S5 (Secure). Quebec rank SNR (Not Ranked) but widely distributed with 520 preserved specimens province-wide. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Common throughout the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
S22 G5, N5, S5-ON, SNR-QC; S26 not SARA listed; S48 520 QC specimens; S62 Common in Ottawa
- Rarity Ranks
- QC SNR – Not Ranked, ON S5 – Secure
- Migration
- Stable
- Ecological Context
- A woodland-edge aster of mesic deciduous forests, particularly beech-maple and oak-hickory communities. Thrives in dappled light along forest borders, clearings, floodplains, and semi-shaded stream banks. In the Ottawa Valley, found in sugar maple-bitternut hickory woodland edges and along the Rideau and Gatineau river corridors. Tolerates disturbance and commonly colonizes roadsides and clearings near its preferred woodland habitat.
S10 woodland species; S7 beech-maple, oak-hickory; S6 deciduous woodlands; S48 specimens from Hull, Aylmer, Gatineau Point
Permaculture & Companion Planting
- Roles
- Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Living Mulch, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: spines? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Living Mulch: S10 keyword match: forms? colon(?:y|ies) (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
- Notes
- Calico aster functions as a late-season insectary plant, attracting beneficial insects including parasitoid wasps and predatory flies alongside its diverse specialist bee community. Its tolerance of juglone makes it valuable in black walnut guild plantings. The shade tolerance and moderate spread by rhizome make it useful as a woodland-edge pollinator strip or understory filler in food forest designs.
S3 juglone tolerant; S10 attracts Syrphid flies, Tachinid flies, wasps; S64 beneficial insects flag
Medicinal Properties ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
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ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →- Category
- Herbal Steam, Psychological Aid
S28 Meskwaki Drug categories
- Notes
- Meskwaki people used the entire plant as a smoke or steam in sweatbath ceremonies. Blossoms were also smudged as a psychological aid, specifically 'to cure a crazy person who has lost his mind' (Smith 1928). Both uses recorded in Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany Database.
S28 Meskwaki Drug uses
Edibility & Foraging ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
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ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →❌ Not Edible
- Foraging Notes
- No food uses documented in Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany Database. The two recorded uses are medicinal (Drug category) rather than dietary.
S28 Drug=2, no Food category
- Toxicity
-
△ Low Toxicity
Not listed in Cornell poisonous plants database. OWSL notes 'this plant causes skin rashes,' suggesting mild contact dermatitis potential in sensitive individuals, but no systemic toxicity is documented.
Seed Source
- OWSL