Aster macrophyllus
| Aster macrophyllus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Mid Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Aster macrophyllus (common name: bigleaf aster)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow in spring in a cold frame. Do not allow the compost to become dry. Pre-chilling the seed for two weeks can improve germination rates[1]. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks at 20°c[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn[2]. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whist smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.
Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most good garden soils[3], preferring one that is well-drained and moisture retentive[2]. Prefers a sunny position[2]. Succeeds in dry soils in the shade[2]. Grows well in light woodland shade[4], succeeding amongst the roots of other plants[5].
Plants are hardy to about -25°c[6].
The plant has an invasive root system and can spread freely when well sited[5].
Slugs are fond of this plant and have destroyed even quite large clumps by eating out all the new growth in spring[K].
Most species in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[5].
A very variable plant with many different forms[6], it hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[2].
Range: Eastern N. America. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[7].
Habitat: Dry to moist open woods, thickets and clearings[8]. By rivers and streams in Britain[7].
Edibility: Very young leaves - cooked and used as a vegetable[9][10][11][12][13]. The leaves are said to act as a medicine as well as a food, though no details are given[14]. Only young leaves are eaten as old leaves quickly become tough[15].
Roots - cooked. They have been used in soups[14].
Medicinal: The roots have been used as a blood medicine[14]. An infusion of the root has been used to bathe the head to treat headaches[14].
A compound decoction of the roots has been used as a laxative in the treatment of venereal disease[14].
Usage: Plants can be used as a ground cover in light shade, forming a spreading clump[16][5].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ RHS. The Garden Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society, 1987.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.