Eurybia surculosa - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Eurybia surculosa, commonly known as the Creeping Aster, is an herbaceous perennial in the composite family

Asteraceae

The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...

that was previously treated in the genus Aster. It is native to the eastern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

where it is found primarily in sandy soils along the coastal plain

Coastal plain

A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southwestern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity...

, though when E. compacta
Eurybia compacta
Eurybia compacta, commonly known as the Slender Aster, is an herbaceous perennial native to the southeastern United States. It is commonly found along the coastal plain in dry sandy soils, especially in pinelands. While it is not considered to be in high danger of extinction, it is of conservation...

is also present, it exists farther inland in the southern Appalachian mountains

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...

. Although the species is not seriously threatened, it is locally endangered in Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

and Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...