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Stokesia laevis
Stokes' Aster
Florida native
An occasional to rare perennial of wet flatwoods and savannas, bogs, wet ditches and seepage areas of the central Florida panhandle plus Escambia, Santa Rosa and Nassau Counties. The range extends through the southeastern coastal states from Louisiana to North Carolina.
Stokesia laevis has petiolate, elliptic basal leaves from 15-20 cm long.
The showy blue or lavender terminal flowers are on stems with alternate, clasping lanceolate leaves that are dentate near the base and entire towards the apex.
This is the only species in this genus which is named for Jonathan Stokes (1755-1831), an English physician and botanist. The specific laevis is Latin meaning smooth and probably refers to the glabrous achenes.
Stokesia laevis is a member of the Asteraceae - Aster family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 19, 2020
