Eurybia macrophylla (L.) Cass. [Old name = Aster macrophyllus]

(Large-leaved Aster). Stems: This species is a native erect perennial with stems from 1 to 4 feet high. They begin green in color but pickup a reddish-purplish tinge. First a basal rosette of leaves appears and then the stem. The lower stem has slight angles but is usually without hair, the upper stem where branching can occur will usually have fine hair. Leaves: The plant is identified by its many large broadly ovate, coarse, basal leaves (4 to 8" wide) with heart shaped bases growing on long sterile hairy stalks. Leaf margins will have sawtooth edges. After the flowering stem grows these basal leaves will die back. The alternate lower stem leaves will be smaller, more oval but still stalked and the stalks will have wings at the stem. Leaves become stalkless near the top of the stem. Flowers: The inflorescence is in the form of a corymb (a flat-topped cluster caused by flowers stems being of variable length) of 1/2 to 1 1/2" wide flowers. Flower rays number from 9 to 20 and can be white to lavender-blue. In this genus they have the appearance of pointing in all directions. These surround numerous disk florets that have yellow corollas that turn reddish at maturity. The disk floret corolla has 5 pointed spreading tips. Flower stalks have short glandular hairs. Under the rays, the flower head has several series of overlapping, tight green bracts with white margins and green blunt-to-slightly-pointed tips. Under each flower cluster there is usually a single leafy green oblong stalkless bract. Seeds are a dry nutlet with hair for wind dispersion.

Habitat: Bigleaf Aster grows from a creeping rhizomatous root system whose offshoots will form colonies of the plant. It grows best in full sun in well drained soil. It will also grow in the partial shade of open woods but in deep shade it may not produce a flowering stem and instead produces a colony of leaves. It is the earliest blooming aster in the Upland Garden. Aster is from the Greek for "a star" referring the appearance of the flower head on all Asters. The species name macrophyllus is the combination of macros for large and phyllos for leaf giving us the common name of "large-leaved." All the new world asters, formerly in the genus Aster, have now been reclassified, most into the genus Symphyotrichum, several, such as this species, into the genus Eurybia. That word comes from two Greek words, eurys, for "wide" and baios for "few", both together thought to be referring to the small number of flower rays, that are also somewhat wide.

Comparisons: The most likely species to confuse with this one is it's sister in the Eurybia genus, the White Wood Aster, E. divaricata, or the Heart-leaved Aster, Symphyotrichum cordifolium. Differences are that E. divaricata has white petals with little or no lilac color, fewer rays per flower head, and the leaves are only on the flowering stem. S. cordifolium has a rounded shape flower cluster but similar heart-shaped leaves.