The aster flower symbolizes patience, love, purity, faith, and wisdom. The exact aster meaning depends on the color of the flower and culture, so it pays off to learn more about the many meanings of this beloved flower.
Much of the aster symbolism comes from the fact that the name aster comes from the Greek word for star. This ‘star’ often serves as a guiding light, a reminder of hope during dark times, and an enduring flame.
What Are Asters?
Native to Europe, Asia, and North America, the aster is part of the Asteraceae family, which is one of the largest families of flowering plants. Asters are simple, daisy-like flowers with a round center surrounded by elongated petals. Some of these plants belong to the Aster genus, but others are members of the Symphyotrichum and Eurybia genera. The name aster comes from the Greek word astḗr, which means star.
Most asters produce dense clusters of star-shaped blooms. While each bloom appears to be an individual flower, it’s actually made up of hundreds of tiny flowers! Elongated ray florets resemble petals and surround tiny, central disc florets. You can find numerous colors of asters, including purple, white, and pink.
Many aster flowers bloom in late summer and fall, offering a burst of vibrant color when many other flowers start to fade. That means adding an aster to your garden helps extend the time the landscape is in color.
Asters in Greek Mythology
We’ve already established that asters get their name from the Greek word for star. However, these flowers also pop up in Greek mythology. These stories can help us answer the question, “What is the meaning of asters?”
The main aster story features the virgin goddess Astraea, who represents justice, innocence, and purity. Astraea was one of the last immortals to live on the earth with humans, but she didn’t remain on our planet forever. Once she witnessed humans’ greed and chaos, she ascended into the sky and became the constellation Virgo. As she traveled into the sky, she left a trail of asters on the ground as a desire for fairness and peace. That’s one reason people view this flower as a symbol of purity and wisdom.
Another version of this story says that after Astraea left the Earth, she was devastated to see how few stars there were in the sky. She began crying, and her tears fell through the sky and landed on earth. When the tears hit the ground, star-shaped asters sprouted in their place. In this story, asters symbolize love, beauty, and purity.
Aster Meaning and Symbolism
The aster meaning extends outside of Greek mythology. These beautiful flowers symbolize love, patience, wisdom, purity, faith, and renewal.
Love
While flowers like red roses are well-known symbols of passionate and romantic love, asters symbolize any kind of pure love. They can be given to a romantic partner to show how much you appreciate them, and they also make great gifts for close friends and family members.
The love the aster symbolizes is long-lasting and loyal, just like the plant itself. These perennials live for multiple years and continue to send up new beautiful blooms each year. As long as you nurture the plants, they will continue producing their gorgeous flowers.
Patience and Faith
Although asters are beautiful, they require patience. While flowers like daffodils, tulips, and peonies bloom in the spring, aster flowers don’t appear in the garden until late summer or fall. The plants spend most of the year collecting energy from the sun and using it to produce robust roots, leaves, and stems. When fall arrives, the plants burst into an explosion of colorful flowers.
The flowers’ late bloom time reminds us to practice patience and have faith in the process. They also encourage us to remember that some of the best things in life come to those who wait and believe.
Wisdom
The aster’s late bloom time also explains why these flowers symbolize wisdom. Although it may seem like blooming ASAP is best for the plants, asters know that their fall blooms serve an important role in the ecosystem. They burst into the world when many flowers have finished blooming and provide an important food source for pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Purity
No matter what type of aster you look at, you can recognize the flower’s simple and pure shape. Each bloom has a simple round center surrounded by delicate petals.
This aster flower meaning also relates to the story of Astraea. Her sadness and love was so pure that she sent these flowers to the Earth.
Aster Meaning Based on Color
There are a few different aster colors, and each one has a unique symbolism. Check out the aster flower meaning of each hue.
White Aster
The white aster symbolizes purity, innocence, and rebirth. That means these flowers are great options for weddings,
Purple Aster
Purple is the classic color of royalty and nobility, so it makes sense that purple asters symbolize royalty and respect. These flowers are great gifts for teachers, parents, and other people you admire. The purple aster also symbolizes mystery.
Pink Aster
Pink asters symbolize kindness and love, no matter the circumstances. They’re great gifts to support someone while they’re moving into a new home, starting a new job, or celebrating a big milestone.
Red Aster
Although they’re not very common, you can find red asters. These flowers relate to devotion and passion.
Aster Special Meanings
Along with their general symbolism, asters also hold special meaning to individual cultures and places.
The aster is one of the September birth month flowers, along with the morning glory. This makes sense when you remember that these flowers burst into bloom in late summer and early fall. The aster is also the state flower of New Hampshire.
In some late European cultures, people used asters to protect their homes from evil spirits. These people believed that the plant’s ability to survive harsh conditions and bloom late into the year made them symbols of strength and protection.
Order Flowers Today
Learning about the symbolism of different flowers helps you choose the right bouquet for every occasion. Now that you know more about the meaning of asters, you can explore the poppy’s meaning and learn about the symbolism of other flowers.
When it’s time to order flower delivery online, we’re here for you! We have elegant white bouquets perfect for anniversaries and baby showers, as well as colorful arrangements for birthdays and graduations. No matter which bouquet you choose, you can rest assured that the flowers were sourced from sustainable-minded farms.
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