Symphyotrychum patens var. Patentissimus

Several years ago while collecting seeds in Sequoyah County in eastern Oklahoma, I came across this attractive native perennial. In our nursery display gardens, we like its non-spreading well behaved habit and adore its butterfly attracting duskypurple flower heads that appear each fall. There are three varieties of Aster patens that occur in Oklahoma with var. patentissimus being found in the Ozark Mountains. It often occurs as a tetraploid plant.