Plant Spotlight

By Sarah Crate, The Longleaf Alliance

Groundcover PLANT SPOTLIGHT

Stokesia laevis (Hill) Greene

Stokes Aster Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Wild Stokes aster in Georgia. Photo by Jacob Barrett.

Cultivated plant from a Florida garden. Photo by Margaret Platt.

DESCRIPTION Stokes aster is a low-growing perennial, 1-2 feet tall, with a basal cluster of dark-green, lance-shaped leaves. Its numerous violetblue flower heads appear in the summer, with an outer whorl of lobed flowers surrounding a central disc of small, tubular florets in the center. Cultivars vary in flower size and color, including white, yellow, and pink.

Stokesia is a monotypic genus containing the single species Stokesia laevis.

DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT Stokes aster is a Coastal Plain native found in wetlands and moist pinelands from South Carolina to Louisiana. Wild populations range from relatively common in its Gulf Coast range to rare in its eastern range. It is state-listed as critically imperiled in Georgia due to the small number of wild populations. WILDLIFE VALUE & AVAILABILITY A number of Stokes aster cultivars are available in the horticulture trade. It is a great choice for perennial beds with other natives to attract insects, including butterflies.

REFERENCES NatureServe. 2021. NatureServe Explorer [web application].

NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. (explorer.natureserve.org, Accessed: May 16, 2022). North Carolina Botanical Garden. 2022. FloraQuest [web application]. Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (floraquest.org,

Accessed: May 16, 2022).