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aster

aster

1 9.9
A star-shaped group of fibers in a cell that forms when the cell divides and helps move chromosomes
  • noun
  • /ˈæstər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : aster
  • In the laboratory, scientists observed the aster structure developing as cells entered the mitotic phase.

Examples

  • Reginald Quill has been pushing this BigSis aster narrative since at least March 2012.

    Blog text (28)
  • During mitosis, the aster forms around the centrosome, helping to organize the spindle fibers.

  • The aster is crucial for proper cell division, as it facilitates the separation of chromosomes.

Compounds

2 7.5

A plant with small purple, pink or white flowers that bloom in autumn

beach aster
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant with thick leaves and sticky stems that makes one pink or purple flower on coastal bluffs

9.9

A North American plant that grows in bogs and has pale purple or white flowers

9.4

A plant from eastern North America that comes back each year with many small white flowers

9.5

A small North American plant with clusters of tiny white flowers often tinged pink or purple

A garden plant with large bright flowers often cut for flower arrangements

A plant that lives for more than two years with large blue flower heads

A North American wildflower with bent stems and small daisy-like flowers

Eastern silvery aster
  • Specialized
8.2

A small plant with narrow silvery leaves and purple daisy-like flowers that blooms in late summer

8.9

A plant that grows in salt marshes and has small pale purple or white flowers

arrow-leaved aster
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American wildflower with arrow-shaped leaves and purple flowers

Aster acuminatus
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American perennial plant with leaves in circles around the stem and white flowers tinged with purple

Aster arenosus
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American plant that lives for several years and has small white flowers

Aster divaricatus
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant that lives many years, grows in woods, has white flowers, and spreads by underground stems

Aster cordifolius
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant that lives for many years with heart-shaped leaves and pale blue or white flowers

Aster dumosus
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant with stiff stems, small leaves, and many tiny white flowers

Aster ericoides
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant from North America that lives for many years with many branches and small white star-shaped flowers

Aster falcatus
  • Specialized
9.8

A plant that lives for many years with white flowers from western North America

aster family
  • Specialized
5.3

A family of plants that have flowers like daisies and sunflowers

Aster linarifolius
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wildflower that lives for several years and has narrow leaves and violet flowers

A plant that lives for many years and blooms early in summer with yellow flower heads

Aster macrophyllus
  • Specialized
9.8

A woodland plant with large leaves and pale purple flowers

Aster novae-angliae
  • Specialized
8.9

A tall garden plant with purple daisy-like flowers that bloom in autumn

Aster novi-belgii
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant from North America that lives for many years and has small purple, pink, or white flowers in autumn

Aster ptarmicoides
  • Specialized
9.9

A low plant that grows in small clumps and has white flowers each year

Aster shortii
  • Specialized
9.6

A plant that lives for many years and has blue flowers in the southeastern United States

Aster turbinellis
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant with violet flowers that blooms every year in the central United States

A plant with flowers that grows in salt marshes by the sea

A plant with scented leaves and purple or lavender flowers

9.8

A long-lived plant with bright blue daisy-like flowers that blooms in late summer

9.9

A North American plant that lives for many years with flat clusters of small white flowers

A plant that lives for several years with broad leaves and small daisy-like flowers

A wildflower that has purple flowers like a daisy in late summer and fall

A wildflower that lives for many years and makes bright yellow, daisy-like flowers

9.9

A desert wildflower with narrow light purple daisy-like flowers

genus Aster
  • Specialized
8.2

A group of plants with daisy-like flowers often grown in gardens

7.5

A North American plant with bright yellow flowers like a daisy

A plant that lives many years and blooms early with yellow flowers like goldenrod

9.7

A plant that lives for many years with thin grass-like leaves and yellow daisy-like flowers

hairy golden aster
  • Specialized
8.5

A plant that comes back every year with yellow flower heads and fine hairs, growing in dry places

9.1

A small North American plant with white star-shaped flowers

A woodland plant with heart-shaped leaves and pale late-summer flowers

A flowering plant with narrow leaves and white flowers at the top

A plant that lives for many years with tall stems and purple or pink flower heads that blooms in autumn

purple-stemmed aster
  • Specialized
9.0

A wildflower with purple stems and clusters of violet or blue flowers

rough-leaved aster
  • Specialized
9.5

A North American plant that lives for many years with rough hairy leaves and purple daisy-like flowers

rush aster
  • Specialized
9.1

A wildflower with narrow leaves and pale violet or white flowers that grows in wetlands in North America

A North American plant that grows for many years with narrow leaves and small white or pale purple daisy-like flowers

9.0

A plant with daisy-like flowers that lives in salt marshes and comes back each year

9.5

A plant with violet flowers that grows in the open grasslands of the central United States

A plant with many small yellow flowers that grows in dry prairie areas

Schreiber's aster
  • Specialized
9.9

A wildflower with clusters of small pale purple or white flowers

8.7

A plant with pale purple flowers that grows in salt marshes by the sea

A wild North American flower with leaves like a fern and narrow purple petals

Tradescant's aster
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant that lives for several years with star-shaped purple or blue flowers

8.9

A plant that lives for many years with blue flowers like a daisy from the southeastern United States

A North American plant with curved leaves and yellow flowers

small white aster
  • Specialized
8.7

A small plant that comes back each year with white daisy-like flowers

8.1

A North American plant that lives many years with smooth leaves and pale violet flowers

A flowering plant with light purple flowers that grows in the southeastern United States

9.1

A small North American plant with tiny white daisy-like flowers on thin stems

8.6

A tall plant that comes back each year with large blue flowers in the southeastern United States

8.8

A small wild flower with leafy stems and bright purple petals that grows in western US hills

stiff aster
  • Specialized
9.6

A plant with upright rough stems, narrow leaves, and large purple flowers that lives for many years

A plant that lives for several years with groups of white flowers in fields or meadows

wavy-leaved aster
  • Specialized
9.1

A North American plant with wavy leaves and pale blue flowers

A North American plant that lives for many years with silvery leaves and purple flowers in grasslands and open woods

A flowering plant with clusters of small white daisy-like flowers

A plant with small white flowers that grows in open grasslands

A small plant that grows in woods with clusters of white star-shaped flowers

9.9

A North American plant with leaves in rings and white flowers tinged purple

9.4

A flowering plant with narrow willow-like leaves and pale violet flowers

8.2

A small wild flower that grows in woods in eastern North America

Surface Forms

aster singular
asters plural

Etymology

Aster for the cell structure comes from the Greek word aster meaning 'star', like the word asterisk. Its fibers spread out around the center of the cell like a small star, so the name reminds you it is the star-shaped part that helps organize cell division.