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| Photos Courtesy Renee Brecht | Britton & Brown  | |
| Botanical name: | Symphyotrichum subulatum | 
| Common name: | eastern annual saltmarsh aster | 
| Group: | dicot | 
| Family: | Asteraceae | 
| Growth type: | forb/herb | 
| Duration: | perennial | 
| Origin: | native | 
| Plant height: | 1 - 3' | 
| Foliage: | leaves narrowly lance shaped, 2-10" long | 
| Flower: | pale pink to purplish or white, under 1/2" wide | 
| Flowering time: | August to October | 
| Habitat: | salt marshes | 
| Range in New Jersey: | southernmost coastal counties, and northeastern coastal counties | 
| Heritage ranking, if any: | n/a | 
| Distribution: |  | 
| Misc.: | Can be distinguished from the perennial
species by its roots system; S.
tenuifolium has a fibrous root system, unlike the taproot
of S. subulatum. The flowerhead of subulatum is also smaller. On the left, S. tenuifolium; on the right, S. subulatum:  |