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| Family: Asteraceae (Aster) |
| Flowers — color: lavender/yellow, size: 1/2", type: daisy (compound) |
Many violet petals surround yellow center, daisy-like, from 3/8" to nearly 3/4" diameter. Blooms appear on branching flower stems at top of plant or from stem leaf nodes.
The flowers bloom singly late in the season as the plant dries out, July/August in open areas and later in more protected chaparral. I have seen some specimens still blooming in February even as green leaves have reappeared on the stems from winter rains. The seed head is spherical with spiky down.
Two other plants in our area have similar flowers: California aster, larger floweer, and leafy fleabane, larger and many more florets.
Habit:
Common Sandaster is a hardy perennial herb or subshrub. One or more stems may grow to 24 inches long and branch occasionally. They may become woody and persist, but only new growth bears flowers. Short, narrow, gray-green leaves spiral around a stem. The lower leaves are larger and have several teeth near the end, a key charasteristic. The leaves seem stiff, with a tendency to curl concavely, almost tubular as the leaf dries.
I discovered some specimens late in their season, August, leaves brown or missing and the last of their blooms were fading. Recognizing their form, I discovered many plants at an earlier stage of development in more protected areas of both the hard and soft chaparral. As I mentioned above, these shaded plants seemed to produce new leaves in the rainy season, but their flower stems seemed stone-dead. I will keep an eye open there.
The genus name is in flux, so I mention both. Sandaster shares a common name, 'California Aster', with another plant, but distinguished by leaf, habit, and flower size. Open sunny areas or partial shade.