Ampelaster

Ampelaster is a North American monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. There is a single known species, Ampelaster carolinianus, with the common name of climbing aster.^[3] It is native to the southeastern United States, in the States of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.^[2]

Ampelaster
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Asteroideae
Tribe:	Astereae
Subtribe:	Symphyotrichinae
Genus:	Ampelaster G.L.Nesom
Species:	A. carolinianus
Binomial name
Ampelaster carolinianus (Walter) G.L.Nesom
Synonyms
Synonyms of genus name[1] Aster Linnaeus sect. Sagittiferi A. Gray Aster sect. Caroliniani Small Lasallea Greene subsect. Carolinianae (Small) Semple & Brouillet Virgulus Rafinesque sect. Sagittiferi (A. Gray) Reveal & Keener Synonyms of species name[2] Aster carolinianus Walter Aster scandens J.Jacq. ex Spreng. Lasallea caroliniana (Walter) Semple & Brouillet Symphyotrichum carolinianum (Walter) Wunderlin & B.F.Hansen Virgulus carolinianus (Walter) Reveal & Keener

Ampelaster carolinianus

Ampelaster carolinianus is unusual in the family in that it is a climber, using other plants to support its weight. Sometimes it uses adventitious roots to this end. Flower heads are 1–15 per branch, with both ray florets and disc florets, the flowers pale pink to rose-purple.^[3]