Unknown ecotype
- Duration: Perennial
- Habit: Spreading, rhizomatous, forms loose colonies
- Size: 1.5 to 3 feet tall; spreads 2 to 4 feet wide
- Flowering Time: August to October
- Bloom Color: Pale violet to bluish-purple with yellow (aging to reddish) centers
- Habitat: Deciduous forests, woodland edges, shaded slopes
- Moisture: Dry to average; prefers well-drained soi;
- Light: Part shade to full shade; flowers best in bright to dappled sun
- Soils: Loamy or sandy soils; tolerates rocky or shallow soils
- Uses: Groundcover and flowers in shade gardens and woodland gardens, erosion control, difficult topography in forests, cottage gardens
Eurybia macrophylla (Bigleaf aster)
Eurybia macrophylla, is called the Bigleaf or Largeleaf Aster. A woodland species native to eastern North America, known for its broad, heart-shaped basal leaves and late-season flowers. It spreads broadly through rhizomes and can form low colonies under deciduous trees. The flowering stems are usually taller and sparser than the basal rosettes, producing loose clusters of small but distinctively lavender colored blooms.
It’s one of the few asters that thrives in deep shade and blooms reliably in low-light forest conditions, offering late-season pollen and nectar for woodland pollinators, including native bees (and some specialists), and skippers. It is also a host plant for the Pearl Crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos), whose larvae feed on the foliage.
Because it leafs out early in spring and flowers late, Bigleaf aster provides groundcover for much of the growing season and can help stabilize forest floor soils and provide shelter for insects and small animals. While it does spread, it generally doesn’t overwhelm other woodland plants and helps to form an understory plant community.
In Virginia this plant occurs primarily in moutainous regions, though it does occur sporadically in the inner Piedmont.