Aster arenarius ("Hamabenogiku")

Japanese name: ハマベノギク （浜辺野菊）
Scientific name: Aster arenarius

[Overview]
A biennial found on sandy coasts and, in Kyushu, also on coastal grasslands and cliffs.
The stem branches well from the base and spreads radially over the ground, with the upper part rising to a height of about 30 cm.
Plants found in places other than sandy ground tend to be somewhat more upright.
There are basal leaves and stem leaves; the basal leaves are spatulate to spoon-shaped, thick, 3–6 cm long and 1–1.5 cm wide, with rounded tips and bases that gradually narrow into a winged petiole, and they have withered by flowering time.
The leaf margins are hairy and are somewhat entire or sometimes have sparse teeth.
The stem leaves are simple and alternate, spoon-shaped, 2–2.5 cm long and 0.8–0.9 cm wide, with bases that gradually narrow.
Flower heads are borne at the branch tips; they are about 3.5 cm across, with pale purple ray florets and yellow tubular florets.
The achene is obovate and 3.5 mm long; the pappus of the tubular florets is about 3–4 mm long and that of the ray florets is around 1 mm long, but on Iki and Koshikijima, plants with long pappus on the ray florets are sometimes mixed in.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by division, or by stem cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained soil.
Take care not to let it become too wet, and water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
Apart from base fertilizer, apply slow-release fertilizer on the soil in spring and autumn.
If you do not intend to collect seed, remove spent flowers promptly after flowering.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew, slugs, cutworms and aphids.

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