Florida Flora Friday: Stokes' Aster (Stokesia laevis)

 

(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, author David J. Stang)

First, a note: I've been reading a lot of Indigenous wisdom lately, largely from Robin Wall Kimmerer, both in her book Braiding Sweetgrass and in other places. One big disconnect with our Western thinking is the way we refer to non-human beings as "it". Doing so diminishes that being. Most of us would not refer to our loved ones as "its". It's quite a discussion and if you'd like to read more, check out this entry and this essay. 

To honor and respect other beings, she suggests we use "ki" for singular and "kin" for plural instead of it. It's a riff on Anishinaabe "aki", which means "earthly being". For those worried about cultural appropriation, she says these words are gifts because they help reclaim animacy. I will be trying to show respect to non-human beings in this way moving forward. So, without further ado, here's the post. Thanks for sticking with me :)

It's time for another Florida Flora Friday! Today, we're talking about the Stokes' Aster. Asters are probably my favorite flower family. Kin are so damn punk rock. Kin come in many varied shapes and forms, from massive Sunflowers to minute Fleabane. Some are boldly colored. Others are more subdued. All are gorgeous. And Stokes' Aster is one of the most striking, IMO.

Stokes' Aster is a short-lived native perennial wildflower found throughout much of the Southeast. Ki's only native to nine Florida counties (Marion County is NOT one of them, btw). Ki grows about two feet tall and two feet wide, and the flowers can be purple, white, blue, or lavender. You can propagate ki by seed and by division, and Stokes' will self-seed, so you can count on ki spreading at least somewhat. Ki's not super picky about the sun and will grow in full sun to partial shade. However, ki does prefer well-drained soil (acidic to neutral, but not alkaline). 

Stokes' Aster flowers and roots are edible, too, and played a role in the diet of Indigenous Peoples for a long time. They're also highly attractive to native pollinators, so you'll see a lot of ground-dwelling bees. Ki is not a host plant for any species, however. 

If you want more about Stokes' Aster, check out the Florida Wildlife Foundation and the Florida Native Plant Society.