Later Purple Aster.Aster patens.
Found during September and October along the borders of dry woods and thickets.
The stalk (from 1 to 2 and ½ feet high) is branching, and leafy, with a fine texture, and smooth surface; slender and swaying in growth. Its color is sometimes green, often a dull reddish-purple.
The leaf is long, and narrow, tapering at the tip, and partly clasping the stalk at the base; the margin is slightly rough to the touch, the texture is firm and thick, and the surface is smooth to the touch. Color, a cool dark grayish-green. The arrangement is alternate.
The disc flowers are sometimes yellow, or often reddish-violet; the rays, from 20 to 30, are a deep rich violet. The heads are set in vase-shaped green cups, whose parts areoverlapping; they are numerous in large terminal clusters.
As the flowers mature, the rays curl inward around the disc, and dry thus on the plant; its leafage is very fine in quality, and in beautiful harmony with the rich brilliance of the blossoms.