Symphyotrichum fontinale is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae endemic to Florida and a small area of southwest Georgia. It has the common names of Florida water aster and Florida water American-aster. S. fontinale is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach in height.
Description S. fontinale is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach in height. There can be up to 400 flower heads on each plant distributed in panicles that are covered with many small leaves. Each flower head has 15–30 purplish-blue to lavender ray florets and 19–25 disk florets that start out as cream to pale yellow and then turn reddish purple, sometimes brown.
Distribution and habitat
Symphyotrichum fontinale is endemic to Florida and a small area of southwest Georgia. It grows at elevations up to in wetlands, including marshes, sandhills, hammocks, flood plains, and rocky bluffs along streams, in scattered counties of Florida and southwest Georgia.
Conservation NatureServe lists it as Vulnerable (G3) worldwide. This status was last reviewed on 7 June 1996.
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