We value your privacy

We use cookies and other technologies to enhance your experience, analyse site usage, help with reporting, and assist in other ways to improve the website. You can choose to allow cookies and other technologies or decline. Your choice will not affect site functionality.

Volume IV (1988) - Flora of New Zealand Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons
Copy a link to this page Cite this record

Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees

*C. chinensis (L.) Nees, Gen. Sp. Aster. 222 (1832)

Chinese aster

Erect annual herb, c. 10-40 cm tall. Stems ridged, sparsely hairy, single or branched to form infl. Basal and lower cauline lvs mostly withered at flowering, petiolate, ovate, coarsely serrate, with a few scattered hairs on veins of lower surface, ciliolate, 20-100 × 6-35 mm; mid and upper cauline lvs smaller, narrow- to broad-spathulate, apetiolate and cuneate, with few teeth or entire. Capitula 2.5-10 cm diam., solitary. Outer involucral bracts linear to spathulate, ciliate, 5-18 mm long; inner bracts spathulate, glabrous, ± = or < outer. Ligules white, pink to rose, or blue to purple, in 1 row or double, 1-3 cm long. Disc yellow. Achenes moderately hairy and with narrow glands, c. 3.5 mm long.

N.: Akatarawa Valley (Wellington); S.: Waimakariri R., Christchurch, Ashburton R. (lowland Canterbury), and Roxburgh (C. Otago).

E. Asia 1968

A rare casual of waste places, rubbish dumps, and shingle.

FL Feb-Apr.

Chinese aster or aster is widely cultivated as a bedding annual; ligule colour varies from white through pinks, reds, blues, purples and occasionally yellow and heads may be single, fully or semi-double.

Click to go back to the top of the page
Top