Found by Rick Darke and Skip March at the Jin Dai Botanical Garden in Tokyo. It was selected for its shorter stature which still at 4-5 feet it is considerably shorter than the typical species which may reach 6-7 feet! Large basal leaves, looking almost like tobacco, emerge in the Spring and provide a bold backdrop for earlier blooming perennials. In the fall numerous rigid flower stalks are capped with 1-inch pink daisy-like flowers. Flowering is later than many other asters and this species often provides brilliant color until frost. Butterflies love it and deer don't.