Narrowleaf whitetop aster is a native wildflower that blooms all summer into fall. It grows in dry woodlands and barrens, clearings and meadows in dry to moist sandy, clay ang gravelly soils. It grows erect with a flat-topped cluster of small white ray flowers surrounding the tubular disc flowers. As the name suggests, the leaves are very narrow. It will grow up to 2 feet tall and form clumps up to 10 inches wide. It is drought tolerant, low maintenance and attracts pollinators. Plant in full to partial sun in any well-drained soil. It has a tidy growth habit so will work well in a pollinator garden in the front to middle of the border. It can also be used in a meadow or naturalized setting. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Very Dry
Available space
Less than 12 inches; 12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are, simple, alternate, sessile and very slender, 1-2 inches long. Basal leaves wither by bloom time.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
White ray flowers surround the tubular center disc flowers July to Oct. Each flower head consists of 5 to 15 disk flowers and 2 to 6 ray flowers and occur in flat-topped clusters
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The achene has a pappus of white bristles
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Upright green smooth stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Eastern to mid west USA
Distribution
AL , CT , DC , DE , GA , IN , KY , LA , MA , MD , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , TN , VA , WV