Doellingeria umbellata var. umbellata (Flat-topped white aster)

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Doellingeria umbellata (Mill.) Nees var. umbellata

Flat-topped white aster, umbellate aster, parasol whitetop, tall flat-topped white aster

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Asterales	Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies
Family	Asteraceae	The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers
Genus	Doellingeria	For German botanist Ignatz Doellinger (1770–1841)
Species	umbellata	Refers to the arrangement of the flowers which arise in a head from a central point, i.e. bearing an umbel
var.	umbellata	Refers to the arrangement of the flowers which arise in a head from a central point, i.e. bearing an umbel

About plant names...

Flat-topped white asters are natives of North America.

Plants: These asters are named for the tendency of their flowerheads to form a flat-topped mass, but they may also be rounded. Plants are 20-79" (50-200 cm) high. Stems are green, sometimes purple or yellowish-brown.

Leaves: 2-4" long ⨉ ½-⅞" wide (6-11 ⨉ 1.3-2.5 cm). They are smooth when rubbed in one direction, rough in the other, elliptic or lanceolate-elliptic. They have prominent veins, a distinctive characteristic, and pale or whitish green undersides.

Flowers: Flowerheads are panicles 3-12" (7.6-30 cm) around. Individual flowers are about ½" (1.3 cm) across, with 5-16 white rays and 12-50 tiny florets in the central disc. The disc is yellow, aging to tan-colored.

Fruits: Dry seeds with miniature parachutes.

See our aster comparison table here. Or check Arieh Tel's well-researched and informative aster comparison site.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Ontario Wildflowers

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

EFloras

9/27/2013 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain

8/14/2021 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Area, Brunswick, Maine
≈ 3 × 5" (8.4 × 12 cm)

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 9" (16 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 10 × 12" (25 × 30 cm) ID is uncertain

9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm)

8/17/2020 · Otter Brook Preserve, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm)

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm)

8/14/2021 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Area, Brunswick, Maine
≈ 5 × 3" (12 × 8.4 cm)

9/27/2013 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

8/19/2018 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 10" (16 × 24 cm)

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire
≈ 10 × 8" (25 × 21 cm) ID is uncertain

8/28/2020 · Jack’s and Litchfield Trails, Chase Reserve, Brunswick, Maine
≈ 13 × 17" (32 × 44 cm)

9/16/2016 · Bar Harbor Motel, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 14 × 16" (34 × 41 cm)

Aster umbellatus

Doellingeria umbellata var. umbellata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 7 Sep 2023.

9/27/2013 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

9/16/2016 · Bar Harbor Motel, Bar Harbor, Maine

9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 14 × 11" (34 × 26 cm) ID is uncertain

8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine
≈ 8 × 7" (20 × 16 cm)

9/27/2013 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine
≈ 4½ × 6" (12 × 14 cm)

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 7" (21 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain

8/27/2021 · Hackett and Minot Trails, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 12 × 18" (30 × 45 cm)

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

This individual is about six feet high. · 8/24/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine

8/17/2014 · Bald Mountain, Franconia Notch Area, White Mountains, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 5" (17 × 12 cm)

8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine
≈ 7 × 6" (18 × 15 cm)

8/17/2014 · Bald Mountain, Franconia Notch Area, White Mountains, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 28 cm)

8/19/2018 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 22 cm)

9/16/2016 · Bar Harbor Motel, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 14 × 21" (34 × 52 cm)

8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

Range:

About this map...