Habit: Symphyotrichum tenuifolium is an unbranched perennial to 25 cm in height growing outward from stolons/rhizomes. The hirsute, sessile leaves are linear, slightly succulent, arranged alternately, to 13 cm in length, 5 mm in width, with an acute leaf apex, and an entire leaf margin.
The both incomplete, imperfect, zygomorphic and complete, perfect, actinomorphic flowers are arranged in raceme of heads each subtended an involucre made of 3-4 series of phyllaries. The imperfect flowers have 3 elongate lavender fused petals, no stamens, and 1 carpel. The perfect flowers have a corolla with 5 fused, yellow petals. There are 5 stamens fused at their base. In both types of flowers the ovary is inferior with a single locule but only the imperfect flowers have functional ovules. The fruit is an achene at maturity that retains the modified calyx (pappus).
Habitat: Sympyhotrichum tenuifolium grows in and around the edges of saline/brackish wetlands and coastal areas.
Distribution: Symphyotrichum tenuifolium is native to the Lucayan Archipelago occurring on the northern Pine islands as well as Cuba and the south and eastern United States.
Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Symphyotrichum tenuifolium is not known to be used medicinally in the Bahamas.