Description

Key Information:

Soil: Mesic (Medium) – Xeric (Dry)
Sun: Part Sun – Shade
Height: 6-12″
Color: White
Bloom: August – October

More Details:

Suggested Uses: Big-leaved Aster is a nice plant for woodland shoreline restoration. It tolerates drier soils and is a great addition to plantings in dry, open woods.  It is a good source of nectar for bees and butterflies. Grows well under evergreens.

Native Range: Native to the Great Lakes, Appalachia and the Northeast. Native to northeastern Minnesota.

Pollinators: Bees, moths and butterflies. It is the larval host plant for the pearl crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos) and the goldenrod hooded owlet moth (Cucullia asteroides).

Flowers: The 1 ” flower-heads have 10-20 petal-like ray flowers. The central disk flowers of this branching aster can have a reddish hue.

Leaves: The large, heart-shaped, toothed basal leaves are 4-8″ across.

Interesting Facts:

Food Uses: The tender, young leaved can be eaten as a cooked green. Consume at your own risk.

More information: USDA plant profile