ðə dʒˈɛnəs wʌz ɹᵻsɚɹˈɛktᵻd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti fˈoːɹ baɪ ɐmˈɛɹɪkən bˈɑːtɐnˌɪst ɡˈaɪ ˈɛl. nˈɛsəm tə ɡɹˈuːp təɡˌɛðɚ spˈiːsiːz fˈɔːɹmɚli ɪŋklˈuːdᵻd ɪnðə dʒˈɛnəs ˈæstɚɹ ɪn ˈɔːɹdɚ tə mˌeɪk mˈɑːdɚn dʒˈɛnɚɹə mˌɑːnoʊfaɪlˈɛɾɪk.
The genus was resurrected in 1994 by American botanist Guy L. Nesom to group together species formerly included in the genus Aster in order to make modern genera monophyletic.