Aster acuminatus Michx. var. magdalenensis Fernald
Oclemena acuminata (Michx.) Greene
Whorled wood aster, mountain aster, sharp-leaved aster
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 from July to October.
Fruits: Achenes are ⅛ ⨉ 1/32″ (3 ⨉ 0.5 mm), and have many glands.
Habitats: Woodlands; tolerates lower light levels than many flowering plants.
Online References:
Aster acuminatus Michx.
Aster acuminatus Michx. var. magdalenensis Fernald
Aster acuminatus Michx. var. magdalenensis Fernald
9/15/2010 · Red Dot Trail, Long Lake Park, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
10/19/2014 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (15 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain 
10/7/2012 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, 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 Conservation Area, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm) 
8/16/2012 · Mt. Tom State Reservation, Beau Bridge Trail, Holyoke, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) 
8/27/2010 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 7″ (21 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/18/2016 · Barred Island Preserve, Deer Isle, Maine 
9/24/2012 · Squannacook River Wildlife Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 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 
10/19/2014 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/27/2010 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 7″ (19 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/11/2012 · Mt. Watatic, Ashburnham, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 2½″ (9.3 × 6.2 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 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
9/4/2023 · Thorne Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 3½″ (9.6 × 8.7 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 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, 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) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| 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 | Oclemena | |
| Species | acuminata | Having a long tapering point |
Oclemena acuminata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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