Stokesia laevis (J. Hill) Greene is a perennial wildflower in the daisy family native to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. It grows 1–2 feet tall and is distinctive for its large lavender-blue daisies which are borne in June–September. In nature it occurs in woodland openings, bogs, and wet flatwoods and savannas; however, it readily adapts to garden conditions in light shade to full sun in sites with rich, moist soil. Plants slowly form rather large clumps and it is easily propagated by division of the clumps. It may also be propagated from root cuttings and from seeds, which do not require any special pretreatments for germination. There are reports that seeds of stokes-aster may germinate irregularly over a long period of time (Gettys & Werner 2001); however, in one experiment, 78% of 985 seeds germinated within 42 days (ibid).
References:
- Gettys, L.A. and D.J. Werner. 2001. Stratification unnecessary for germination of seeds of stokes aster [Stokesia laevis (J. Hill) Greene]. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society 114:250–251. PDF
Great photos!
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