Baby White Aster. Chaetopappa ericoides, Aster or Sunflower Family also known as the Composite Family: ( Compositae ), Baby White Aster. Also Called: babywhite aster, white aster, rose heath aster, heath-leaved chaetopappa, Aster arenosus, Aster ericaefolius, Aster hirtifolius, Aster leucelene, Inula ericoides, & Leucelene ericoides. We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on this page. We share images and information with Wikipedia. Chaetopappa ericoides is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names rose heath and heath-leaved chaetopappa. It is native to the southwestern and much of the midwestern United States and northern Mexico. Babywhite aster is an erect perennial 2-6 in. tall, growing from a woody branching caudex or creeping rhizomes. The stems are numerous, tufted, often glandular, and bristly hairy. The alternate leaves are simple, rarely over 1/8 in. long, linear to linear-oblanceolate, hispid-ciliate, and entire. The heads are solitary on slender branches with short white rays and a yellow disk. The fruit is an achene with appressed hairs and a copious pappus The uniqueness of the Aster or Sunflower family is that what first seems to be a single large flower is actually a composite of many smaller flowers. Erect or spreading, slender, low, much branched, 2 to 8 inches tall, covered with bristly hair. Often forms a loose tuft of many stems. Quick Notes: Height: Up To 2 - 8 inches tall. Flowers: There are 12 to 24 white ray florets with ligules about 1/4 inch long and yellow disk florets. Sometimes the ray florets curl under and dry to a pale rose color. Flowering Time: March - May. Leaves: The lower stem leaves are small and scale-like. The middle stem leaves are thick, linear-spatulate or awl-shaped, about .5 inch long, ascending or appressed, with margins that are often fringed with hairs. The upper stem leaves are reduced to short, linear or awl-shaped bracts. Found: Native to the USA (AZ, CA, CO, KS, NE, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT, WY)). and northern Sonora, northern Chihuahua, & Baja California, in Mexico. Hardiness: USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 �C (15 �F) USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 �C (20 �F) Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline) 7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline) Sun Exposure: Full Sun Elevation: 3,500 - 5,000 Feet. Habitat: Dry, open sandy or gravelly sites and rocky, eroded hillsides. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken April 29, 2003. On Mingus Mountain, Arizona.

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