About Doellingeria umbellata (Mill.) Nees
Doellingeria umbellata (Mill.) Nees, commonly called tall flat-topped white aster, parasol whitetop, or tall white-aster, is a North American plant species in the Asteraceae family. It is native to Canada (ranging from Alberta to Newfoundland), St. Pierre and Miquelon, and the eastern and north-central United States (extending from Nebraska and the Dakotas east to Maine, and south to Mississippi, Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle).
This is a perennial plant that grows up to 200 cm (80 inches) tall, and spreads via underground rhizomes. It can sometimes produce up to 300 small flower heads. Each flower head holds up to 16 white ray florets and up to 50 yellow disc florets. It grows in full sun or partial shade, in moist or well-draining wet soils that are ideally slightly acidic, though it can also adapt to moderately acidic or slightly alkaline conditions.
Two varieties are recognized: Doellingeria umbellata var. pubens (A.Gray) Britton, found in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin; and Doellingeria umbellata var. umbellata, found in St. Pierre and Miquelon, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
