| Brace’s aster
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| Symphyotrichum tenuifolium
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| Asteraceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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Most typically an understory herb in brackish marshes along the coast. |
| Availability: |
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Rarely grown by native plant nurseries. |
| Description: |
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Erect medium wildflower with wiry zigzag stems. |
| Height: |
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About 1-3 feet in height. Taller than broad. |
| Growth Rate: |
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Moderate. |
| Range: |
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Monroe County Keys and Miami-Dade County north along the west coast to the Franklin County; Bahamas and Cuba. |
| Habitats: |
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Marshes and pinelands, often in brackish soils. |
| Soils: |
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Wet to moist, periodically inundated brackish, sometimes freshwater, soils. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
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Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
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Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought. |
| Light Requirements: |
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Full sun. |
| Flower Color: |
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Pale blue or whitish. |
| Flower Characteristics: |
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Semi-showy. |
| Flowering Season: |
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Fall-winter. |
| Fruit: |
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Inconspicuous achene. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Attracts native bees and other beneficial insects. |
| Horticultural Notes: |
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| Comments: |
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The zigzag stem of this species is quite noticable. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page. |
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