North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Sericocarpus asteroides

Sericocarpus asteroides (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.

toothed white-topped aster, toothed whitetop aster

Synonym(s): Aster asteroides, Aster paternus, Conyza asteroides

Sericocarpus asteroides (Toothed White-topped Aster)

Image ID: 24432
Image by: Stuart, Will
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: SEAS3
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sericocarpus asteroides
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-01-15

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: SERIC
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Sericocarpus
GENUS AUTHORITY: Greene
GENUS COMMON: Whitetop aster
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of 5 species, herbs, of North America. This group of species, traditionally treated as Sericocarpus, was transferred to Aster by Cronquist, a treatment followed by most (but not all) recent floristic works. It now appears, based on morphological and molecular studies, that the traditional treatment as a separate genus is far superior. Nesom (1993a) argues that a variety of characters indicate that Sericocarpus is more closely allied to Solidago, Euthamia, Bigelowia, Chrysoma, and Gutierrezia than it is to Aster. Noyes & Rieseberg (1999) provide strong support for this contention, based on molecular evidence. See Nesom (1993a), Jones (1980), Semple & Brouillet (1980), and Noyes & Rieseberg (1999) for further discussion about the affinities of this group.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Semple & Leonard in FNA (2006b); Leonard, Cook, & Semple (2005)=Y; Nesom (1993a)=Z; Cronquist (1980)=SE.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ASTERA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Asteraceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792
FAMILY COMMON: Aster Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect perennial of dry woodlands, thin soils around rock outcrops, roadsides, sandhills and dry pinelands.
STEMS: Stems 1-several from a crown, slightly angled, branched in upper half, hairy.
LEAVES: Leaves basal and alternate on stem; lower leaves tapered to a winged petiole, oblong-oval to spoon-shaped, to about 4 in. long, toothed near tip and hairy; stem leaves fewer, sessile, smaller.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Composite flowers (heads) in dense clusters at ends of stems and branches; heads about 1/2 in. wide, consisting of 3-7 white ray florets encircling a center disk of 9-20 tiny, white to cream (or pink-tinged), tubular florets. Several series of whitish bracts with spreading, green tips surround the narrowly bell-shaped base of each head.
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 8-24 in.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Mixed
BLOOM TIME: Jun-Aug

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
				x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Dry forests, Outcrops and glades, Sandhills, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: eastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Toothed white-topped aster is found in dry open woods, fields, and woodland edges throughout North Carolina. Beginning in early summer it produces loose clusters of white flowers that attract bees, wasps, and butterflies. Use toothed white-topped aster to brighten a dry section of your woodland garden.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 5
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 8
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
2090	NPMD	2020-10-23	Adams	View
2104	NPMD	2020-10-22	Summer	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
4018	1992-0174			View
5956	1995-1086			View
9688	2023-0127	2024-01-22	2104	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
6346	4018	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
8526	5956	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
13129	0	14	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
14175	9688	15	Liloia	2023-10-19	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: SEAS3
USDA Common Name: Toothed Whitetop Aster
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sericocarpus asteroides
COMMON NAME: Toothed White-topped Aster
SYNONYMY: [= F, FNA, K, Pa, S, Va, WH3, WV, Y, Z; = Aster paternus Cronquist - RAB, C, G, SE, W]
PHENOLOGY: Jun-Jul.
HABITAT: Dry woodlands, thin soils around rock outcrops, sandhills, dry pinelands.
COMMENTS: S. ME and s. VT west to c. OH, south to e. SC, c. GA, w. Panhandle FL, s. AL, and s. MS. Coastal Plain populations are rhizomatous, while inland populations are not; some taxonomic distinction may be warranted (Nesom, pers. comm.).
RANGE MAP: Sericocarpus asteroides.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Asteraceae Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792 (Aster Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Sericocarpus Greene (Whitetop aster)
SUMMARY: A genus of 5 species, herbs, of North America. This group of species, traditionally treated as Sericocarpus, was transferred to Aster by Cronquist, a treatment followed by most (but not all) recent floristic works. It now appears, based on morphological and molecular studies, that the traditional treatment as a separate genus is far superior. Nesom (1993a) argues that a variety of characters indicate that Sericocarpus is more closely allied to Solidago, Euthamia, Bigelowia, Chrysoma, and Gutierrezia than it is to Aster. Noyes & Rieseberg (1999) provide strong support for this contention, based on molecular evidence. See Nesom (1993a), Jones (1980), Semple & Brouillet (1980), and Noyes & Rieseberg (1999) for further discussion about the affinities of this group.
REFERENCE: Semple & Leonard in FNA (2006b); Leonard, Cook, & Semple (2005)=Y; Nesom (1993a)=Z; Cronquist (1980)=SE.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Sericocarpus asteroides in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Sericocarpus asteroides in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Sericocarpus asteroides in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Sericocarpus asteroides in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Sericocarpus asteroides in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Sericocarpus asteroides

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 24432 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 24434 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 18777 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)