Stokesia laevis (Hill) Greene. Stokesia, Stokes Aster, Blue Stokesia. Phen: Late Jun-Aug. Hab: Pitcherplant bogs and moist pinelands, and also rather frequently grown as a garden plant and naturalized from cultivation in states outside its native distribution. Dist: Native from e. SC south ne. FL, FL Panhandle, west to e. LA (St. Tammany Parish); disjunct in w. LA and e. TX (Loos et al. 2019).

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Taxonomy Comments: There seems no reason to question the validity and native status of the early record from SC. A unique tetraploid population found by the Atlanta Botanical Garden in Omega, GA (near Tifton) in the 1990s was distinguished by having distinct upright and long scapes, up to 1 meter in length; the original population has been destroyed, but a selection derived from it was named ‘Omega Skyrocket’ and introduced into the commercial trade (Barb, Werner, & Tallury 2008).

Synonymy: = Fl7, FNA19, K1, K3, K4, RAB, S, SE1, WH3, Jones (1982)

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FAC
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FAC

Heliophily: 9