''Aster'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

flowering plants in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. Its

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: *Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) *Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthrop ...

has been narrowed, and it now encompasses around 170 species, all but one of which are restricted to

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

; many species formerly in ''Aster'' are now in other genera of the tribe Astereae. ''

Aster amellus ''Aster amellus'', the European Michaelmas daisy, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus '' Aster'' of the family Asteraceae. Etymology The specific name ''amellus'' is first used in the Georgics (Book IV, 271–280), a poem of the Lati ...

'' is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

of the genus and the family Asteraceae. The name ''Aster'' comes from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

word (''astḗr''), meaning "star", referring to the shape of the

flower head A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

. Many species and a variety of hybrids and varieties are popular as garden plants because of their attractive and colourful flowers. 'Aster' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of a number of Lepidoptera species—see list of Lepidoptera that feed on ''Aster''. Asters can grow in all hardiness zones.

Circumscription

The genus ''Aster'' once contained nearly 600 species in Eurasia and North America, but after morphologic and molecular research on the genus during the 1990s, it was decided that the North American species are better treated in a series of other related genera. After this split there are roughly 180 species within the genus, all but one being confined to Eurasia. in Flora of North America. The New World species have now been reclassified in the genera '' Almutaster'', '' Canadanthus'', ''

Doellingeria ''Doellingeria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It contains species formerly included in ''Aster'' but now considered to be a distinct genus. They are known commonly as tall flat-topped astersEucephalus'', '' Eurybia'', '' Ionactis'', '' Oligoneuron'', '' Oreostemma'', '' Sericocarpus'' and '' Symphyotrichum'', though all are treated within the same tribe, Astereae. The "China aster" is in the related genus ''

Callistephus ''Callistephus'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae, containing the single species ''Callistephus chinensis''. Its common names include China aster and annual aster.Gilman, E. F. and T. Howe''Callistephus ch ...

''. Regardless of the taxonomic change, most are still widely referred to as "asters", or "

Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, ...

daisies", because of their typical blooming period.

Species

Plants of the World Online accepts 10 species, as of June 2022. The species formerly known as ''Aster tripolium'' (sea aster) is now ''

Tripolium pannonicum ''Tripolium pannonicum'', called sea aster or seashore aster and often known by the synonyms ''Aster tripolium'' or ''Aster pannonicus'', is a flowering plant, native to Eurasia and northern Africa, that is confined in its distribution to salt ma ...

''. The species formerly known as ''Aster linosyris'' (goldilocks) is now ''

Galatella linosyris ''Galatella linosyris'' (also called goldilocks aster, and often known by the synonyms ''Aster linosyris'' and ''Crinitaria linosyris'') is a species of perennial plant from family Asteraceae found in Eastern, Central and Southern Europe. It can ...

''. Many species and a variety of hybrids and varieties are popular as garden plants because of their beautiful, attractive and colourful flowers. ''Aster'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species—see list of Lepidoptera that feed on ''Aster''. Asters can grow in all hardiness zones. Some species are: *'' Aster ageratoides'' – rough-surface aster *''

Aster alpinus ''Aster alpinus'', the alpine aster or blue alpine daisy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the mountains of Europe (including the Alps), with a subspecies native to Canada and the United States. This herbaceous ...

'' – alpine aster *'' Aster altaicus'' *''

'' – European Michaelmas daisy, Italian aster *'' Aster arenarius'' – beach-sand aster *'' Aster bellidiastrum'' *'' Aster fastigiatus'' – highly-branch aster *'' Aster glehnii'' –

Ulleungdo Ulleungdo (also spelled Ulreungdo; Hangul: , ) is a South Korean island 120 km (75 mi) east of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan, formerly known as the Dagelet Island or Argonaut Island in Europe. Volcanic in origin, the rocky s ...

aster *'' Aster hayatae'' – Korean montane aster *''Aster hispidus'' *'' Aster iinumae'' – perennial false aster *'' Aster incisus'' – incised-leaf aster *'' Aster lautureanus'' – connected aster, mountain aster *'' Aster maackii'' – Maack's aster *'' Aster magnus'' – magnus aster *'' Aster neoelegans'' *'' Aster quitensis'' *'' Aster spathulifolius'' – seashore spatulate aster *'' Aster tataricus'' – Tatarian aster, Tatarinow's aster *'' Aster tonglingensis'' *'' Aster tongolensis'' *'' Aster yomena''

Hybrids and cultivars

Those marked have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit. *'' Aster × frikartii'' (''A. amellus'' × ''A. thomsonii'') Frikart's aster **''Aster'' × ''frikartii'' 'Mönch' **''A.'' × ''frikartii'' 'Wunder von Stäfa' *'Kylie' (''A. novae-angliae'' 'Andenken an Alma Pötschke' × ''A. ericoides'' 'White Heather') *'Ochtendgloren' (''A. pringlei'' hybrid) *'Photograph'

In history

The Hungarian revolution of 31 October 1918, became known as the "

Aster Revolution The Aster Revolution or Chrysanthemum Revolution ( hu, Őszirózsás forradalom) was a revolution in Hungary led by Count Mihály Károlyi in the aftermath of World War I which resulted in the foundation of the short-lived First Hungarian Peop ...

" due to protesters in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

wearing this flower.

In culture

One of the few flowers left around

in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

is the Michaelmas daisy (another name for asters), hence the rhyme: "The Michaelmas daisies, among dead weeds, Bloom for St Michael's valorous deeds..."

References

{{Authority control Asteraceae genera Garden plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus