Mature seeds of
New England Aster
Aster novae-angliae
Perennial New England Asters have small one inch ray flowers in the white, pink and lavender to purple range. The seeds are dispersed by the "fluff and fly" method, as they mature they grow their own parasols to be carried off with the wind to a new location far from the parent plant.
The upper-left seed tuft in the photo clearly shows where the seeds are located. On a windy day this tuft would finish dispersing in a few short hours.
Seed collection is easy....simply grasp the the fluff with your fingers and remove it from the plant. The seeds are located at the very base of the fluff held in a tight cluster. They are quite small, light to medium brown, the width of a fine needle and about a 1/8" long. Because there is so much chaff with these aster seeds they are often traded as seeds and chaff mixed together. Sowing instructions should mention patting both seeds and chaff together onto the soil surface.
by Linda Naeve, Extension Coordinator ~ Reiman Gardens
ISU Extension News Release 10/9/03
Iowa State University Extension
by Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
Fall News Article
Perry's Perennial Pages
Green Mountain Gardener
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences
University of Vermont Extension
Horticultural Paradise News Release
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension
New England Aster
by David E. Yarborough and Timothy M. Hess
Weeds 2
Factsheet No. 242
Wild Blueberry
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Plants in Prairie Communities
Factsheet FO-03238
University of Minnesota Extension Service
by Dawn Pettinelli, Manager, Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory
Home and Garden Education Center
University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System