Short’s Aster

Symphyotrichum shortii

Pollinator Value

🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Andrena asteris, Andrena hirticincta, Andrena nubecula, Andrena simplex, Colletes simulans
S17 genus-level Symphyotrichum specialists; S10 confirmed for asters

Proximity Score: 2
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: SW
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.2 – Lake Erie Lowland
Rarity Notes: COSEWIC assessed as Not at Risk. Nationally ranked N4 in Canada. In Ontario ranked S4 (Apparently Secure), where it is restricted to the Lake Erie lowland and southwestern counties. Globally ranked G5. Of conservation concern along the periphery of its range, notably in Canada.
S26 COSEWIC NOT_AT_RISK; S22 G5, N4, S4-ON; S6 conservation concern at range periphery
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S4 – Apparently Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A woodland forb of mesic to dry-mesic oak-hickory and maple-basswood forests, typically found where limestone is close to the surface. In Ontario, restricted to the Lake Erie lowland counties (Pelee Island, Essex, Kent) at the northern edge of its range. Associates with Acer saccharum, Carya cordiformis, Celtis occidentalis, and Fraxinus americana in mature hardwood forests.
S10 oak-hickory and maple-basswood woodlands; S7 Michigan habitats; S6 calcareous soils, Ont. range; S48 ON specimens from Lake Erie area

Roles: pollinator attractor, ground cover, wildlife food
S4 attracts pollinators and seed-eating birds; S10 specialist bee host
Notes: An excellent woodland garden plant that tolerates deep shade and juglone from black walnut. Self-sows freely and fills gaps in woodland understory plantings. Short-lived individual plants but persistent populations through self-seeding and rhizome spread. Combines well with fall-blooming goldenrods for a complementary yellow-purple color scheme.
S4 self-sows; S3 juglone tolerant; S10 mesic woodland conditions

Category: Drug
S28 Potawatomi Drug use
Notes: Potawatomi used an infusion of flowering tops for unspecified ailments (Smith 1933). No other ethnobotanical medicinal records documented.
S28 Moerman: Potawatomi Drug, infusion of flowering tops

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No recorded food uses. Moerman lists only medicinal (Drug) use by the Potawatomi.
S28 Drug use only; S29 no edible information