Stokesia (plant)

Cornflower Aster ( Stokesia laevis)

The Cornflower Aster ( Stokesia laevis, Syn Stokesia cyanea L' Hér. ) Is the only species in the genus Stokesia.

Features

The Cornflower Aster is an evergreen, perennial, herbaceous plant, the plant height of 30 to 60 (up to 100 rare) achieved centimeters. The plant is an erect and branched half- rosette shrub, forming a rhizome. The leaves are lanceolate and have a broad white midrib. The lower leaves are up to 20 inches long, 7 inches wide, stalked and entire, the upper ones are sitting and perforated at the base or sometimes studded with thorns. The flower heads are arranged separately in a terminal or Doldenrispe. They have a diameter of 4 to 10 centimeters. The outer bracts are leaf -like and thorny on the ground. Chaff sheets are not present. The crown is blue-violet, blue, pink or white. The middle flowers are radially and brighter or darker. The outer dorsiventrally are directed outwardly extended fünfspaltig and wide. The fruits have 5 narrow pappus - scales.

The flowering period extends from August to September, rarely begins in June.

Occurrence

The Cornflower Aster comes in the southeastern United States from South Carolina to Florida and Louisiana in moist, acidophilous pine forests and swamps.

Use

The Cornflower Aster is scattered used as an ornamental plant for perennial beds, peat beds and rock gardens. The species is in cultivation since at least 1766. There are some varieties. These have white heads or light blue with white center and the plants are lower.

Name

Charles Louis L' Héritier de Brut Elle named the genus Stokesia after the English botanist Jonathan Stokes ( 1755-1831 ).

Documents

• Corner Hardt J. Hunter, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd Müller K. (ed.): Rothmaler Exkursionsflora of Germany. Volume 5: Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8.