Virginia ecotype
Duration: Perennial
Habit: Arching, upright, spreading, naturalizingSize: 2 - 6 ft. high / wide
Flowering time: Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Bloom color: Yellow
Habitat: Lowland woods and clearings, average to moist meadows, pine barrens, wetlandsMoisture: Average to wet, well drained
Light: Full to part sunSoils: Clay, loamy, sandy, gravely
Uses: wetland restoration, wild meadows, part sun woodlands gardens, pollinator gardens, rain gardens, riparian and water edges
Note: this species spreads by underground rhizomes and may not be suitable for small and tidy gardens.
Eurybia spectabilis (Purple wood-aster)
Eurybia spectabilis is known as Purple wood-aster, or Eastern showy aster. This species thrives in dry, sandy, or rocky soils — often found in pine barrens, open woodlands or forest edges, and scrubby clearings. This makes it well-suited for difficult areas, xeriscaping, and well-draining low-fertility soils.
Like many asters, Eurybia spectabilis is a crucial late-season nectar source for a wide variety of pollinators, including native bees, butterflies, and beetles. It blooms quarter-sized purple flowers from late summer into fall, and serves as a larval host plant for several butterfly and moth species, including the pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Unlike many purple asters, this species is low and spreading and can form a colony or thin groundcover over time with its lance shaped leaves. Its spread is slowed by denser soil, as it prefers and spreads naturally in looser loamy, sandy or rocky mediums. It does not do well in poor-draining, dense clay soils.
Eurybia spectabilis is considered regionally uncommon or declining in several areas of its range due to habitat loss, making it a valuable plant for native habitat restoration.