Not only is the aster family large so is the genus Aster L., and this has resulted in dividing genus. The most recent division was perhaps due to DNA testing, and all members of the Aster genus in our area were put into at least nine other genera if they were not already there. The first one listed alphabetically by genera that is native to the southeast is climbing aster, Ampelaster carolinianus (Walter) G.L. Nesom, which is a woody scrambling shrub that was first collected by William Bartram. This vine like shrub is generally available from nurseries that specialize in native plants found in the southeast.
The largest genus that has may species synonymous with Aster is Symphyotrichum Nees, and it has 90 valid names with over two dozen that are found in Alabama thus it contains most of the plants locally referred to as asters. The others include 3 species of whitetop, Doellingeria Nees, three species of fleabane, Erigeron L., although those three may not be in our area, a dozen or so species of Eurybia (Cass.) Cass., that are still known as aster, flaxleaf whitetop aster, Ionactis linariifolius (L.) Greene, a couple species of Oclemena Greene, also known as aster, prairie goldenrod, Oligoneuron album (Nutt.) G.L. Nesom, although other species in the genus were in the goldenrod genus Solidago L., which includes the giant goldenrod that has a synonymous name of Aster latissimifolius (Mill.) Kuntze var. serotinus Kuntze, and the three of the five species of whitetop aster, Sericocarpus Greene, that are found in the southeast.