Oclemena acuminata (Michx.) Greene

Whorled wood aster, mountain aster, sharp-leaved aster

About plant names...

Whorled aster is a North American native plant.

Plants: Plants are 12-31" (30-80 cm) high, found in wooded areas.

Leaves: Oval, coarsely toothed, pointed leaves form a whorl around the stem. Okay, they seem to be whorled: in fact, they are alternate and only look whorled when viewed from above. The arrangement of leaves, resembling a pinwheel, collects limited forest floor light more efficiently.

Flowers: Flowers form a roughly spherical cluster at the top, of flowers that are ⅞-1½" (2.5-4 cm) in diameter. Each “flower” is a composite flower, composed of disheveled-looking white ray flowers surrounding a central disc that is yellow or purplish in color. Ray flowers are bent backward, not straight as in most other aster family flowers, and composed of about 15 (9-18) rays. They appear Jul-Oct.

Fruits: Achenes are ⅛" (3 mm) × ¹/₃₂" (), and have many glands.

Online References:

Oclemena acuminata on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Oclemena acuminata on Discover Life

Oclemena acuminata at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Oclemena acuminata on Ontario Wildflowers

Oclemena acuminata at the Evergreen Native Plant Database

Oclemena acuminata on CalPhotos

Oclemena acuminata on

Oclemena acuminata on eFloras

9/15/2010 · Red Dot Trail, Long Lake Park, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

10/7/2012 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hamp­shire
≈ 5 × 3½" (12 × 8.8 cm)

8/27/2010 · Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm) ID is uncertain

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hamp­shire
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)

8/16/2012 · Mt. Tom State Reservation, Beau Bridge Trail, Holyoke, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

8/27/2010 · Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 7 × 8" (18 × 21 cm) ID is uncertain

9/18/2016 · Barred Island Preserve, Deer Isle, Maine

Oclemena acuminata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 21 Aug 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

9/24/2012 · Squannacook River Wildlife Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 6" (16 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

8/27/2010 · Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 8 × 7" (19 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

9/11/2012 · Mt. Watatic, Ashburnham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 2½ × 3½" (6.2 × 9.3 cm) ID is uncertain

9/20/2013 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain

8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 10 × 7" (24 × 16 cm)

9/20/2013 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

9/18/2016 · Barred Island Preserve, Deer Isle, Maine

7/30/2010 · Willard Brook State Forest, Blue Trail, Ashby & Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm) ID is uncertain

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hamp­shire
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm)

8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hamp­shire
≈ 5 × 4" (13 × 11 cm)

8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hamp­shire
≈ 4 × 3½" (11 × 9.2 cm)

Range:

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