• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Cure Nursery

Native Plants of the Southeast

  • Home
  • All Plants
    • Search Our Plants by Plant Characteristics
    • Alphabetical by Scientific Name
    • Search Our Plants by Common Names
  • Availability & Pricing – Winter/Spring 2021
  • Resources
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Stokesia laevis
Stokes Aster, Blue Stokesia

Photo by Cure Nursery

This super-attractive, butterfly-drawing herbaceous perennial is small (1-2′ high x 1-2′ wide) with large (2-3 inch) very showy, usually single flowers ranging from cornflower blue (most often) to lavender and even, occasionally, white. The flower structure of Stokes aster reflects its membership in the Aster family: deeply notched blue or lavender ray flowers surround a pincushion center of feathery, lighter disc florets with a distinctly frilly effect. They are supported by stems arising from a semi-evergreen to evergreen basal rosette. Stokes Aster thrives in full sun but may droop some in the afternoon heat. Although accustomed to coastal plain bottomlands and wet savannas, it is said to suffer from wet feet in winter (MoBot) and is apparently adapted to well drained conditions as well. It hales from only a few scattered counties in southern SC, Louisisana, Mississippi, Alabama central Georgia and the panhandle of Florida — and is reported in only one county in NC (Guilford Co., not a coastal plain county!). It is threatened by clearing and logging; conversion of habitat to pine plantations, pastures, and development. Winter hardy to zone 5, well north of its native range.

Last Updated: June 6, 2019

Key Info

Scientific Name: Stokesia laevis (Hill) Greene
Common Names: Stokes Aster, Blue Stokesia
Family Name: Asteraceae (Composite, or Daisy Family)
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Uses: Perennial Border, Butterfly garden, Container
Light Requirement: Full sun, Partial/sunny, Partial/shady
Moisture Requirement: Medium, Moist well drained
Leaf Retention: Semi-evergreen
Bloom Times: May, Jun, Jul
Flower Color: Blue, Lavender, White
Special Characteristics: Attracts bees, Attracts butterflies, Attracts birds, Rhizomatous, Good cut flowers, Tolerates temporary wet conditions, Semi-evergreen, Long blooming, Reported to be deer resistant.

Additional Info

Habit: Flower-bearing stems arise from an evergreen basal rosette of dark green lance-shaped leaves. Tap root and short rhizomes.
Height: 1' to 2'
Spread: 1' to 2'
Soil Conditions: Moist, rich, well-drained soil, acidic sands preferred.
Leaves: Basal leaves up to 12 inches long x 2 inches wide, with entire margins, fleshy, evergreen, with tiny glands, and with wings on the petioles. Stem leaves alternate, lance-shaped, 3-5 inches long, with rolled edges, clasping the stem.
Flowers (or reproductive structures): 2 -3 inches wide (some report 4 inches), held at the tips of long, leafy stalks; with whorls of leafy, spiny bracts beneath the head; ray flowers up to 1¼ inch long, blue, lavender, or white, with 5 deeply cut lobes at the tip; inner disk flowers up to ¾ inch long, tubular, blue or white. Both disk and ray flowers, are fertile and bisexual. The flowers must be cross-pollinated in order to produce seed.
Fruit: About 2 months after flowering, seeds (less than 3/8 inch long, greenish-white, shiny, 3- or 4-sided maturing to brown) achenes are formed, surrounded by papery bracts.
Natural Distribution: Wet pine savannas and flatwoods, seeps, wet ditches, pitcherplant bogs on the coastal plain.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FAC
Pollination: Probably pollinated by butterflies and bees.
Wildlife Connections: Moderate deer resistance. Butterflies and bumblebees are attracted by nectar of the blooms in the summer.
Pharmacology: A potential oilseed crop; its seeds contain high levels of a fatty acid that can be converted to epoxy oil and used in the manufacture of plastics, varnish and glue.
Cultural Notes: Deadhead to prevent seeding out and to encourage more flowering.
Downside: Stems are often not sturdy and upright.
Propagation: Division in spring, root cuttings in spring, seed.
USDA/NRCS Plant Distribution Map: View Map at USDA.gov

Availability

Available: Quarts, $8

Footer

contact us

facebook.com/curenursery
curenursery@earthlink.net
Office: (919) 542-6186

Appointments: (919) 885-8642

Who we are

Cure Nursery is a small nursery propagating and selling native plants for the Southeastern U.S. We are located near the town of Pittsboro, Chatham County, in central NC.

our hours

Cure Nursery operates by appointment only. Call us or email us to arrange a time to come out, or for delivery.

Copyright © 2021 Cure Nursery · All Rights Reserved · Resources · Website by Tomatillo Design