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The genus Aster includes some 600 species of widely distributed flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Aster comes from Greek word for "star", and refers to the shape of the flower head. Many of the species are popular garden plants because of their showy flower heads. The flowers of the Sea Aster (A. tripolium) are eaten by the larvae of the Wormwood Pug moth.
The genus Aster is now generally restricted to the Old World species. The other species have now been reclassified in the genera Almutaster , Canadanthus , Doellingeria , Eucephalus , Eurybia, Ionactis, Oligoneuron, Oreostemma , Sericocarpus and Symphyotrichum (see : List of Aster synonyms).
Some common species are:
- Aster alpinus
- Aster amellus (Italian Aster)
- Aster cordifolius (Blue Wood Aster)
- Aster divaricatus (White Wood Aster)
- Aster ericoides (Heath Aster)
- Aster laevis
- Aster lateriflorus
- Aster novae-angliae (New England Aster)
- Aster novi-belgii (New York Aster)
- Aster pilosus (Frost Aster)
- Aster pringlei
- Aster sibericus
- Aster tataricus
- Aster tongolensis
- Aster tripolium (Sea Aster)
The China aster is in a related genus, Callistephus.
