Common Name: Bigleaf Aster

General Information

Eurybia macrophylla is a herbaceous, perennial plant growing 15 - 110cm tall from a branched, rhizomatous rootstock. The roots spread freely, sending up erect, unbranched, single stems at intervals, often forming extensive, dense colonies[].
More known as an ornamental plant that can be used as a ground cover, the plant has traditionally been used as a food and a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Central and Eastern N. America - Manitoba to Nova Scotia, south to Tennessee and Georgia.

Habitat

Moist to dry soils, hemlock-northern hardwoods, beech-maple or pine forests, Appalachian spruce-fir forests, aspen, pine or open spruce woodlands, thickets, clearings, shaded roadsides; at elevations up to 1,300 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in most good garden soils[], preferring one that is well-drained and moisture retentive[]. Prefers a sunny position[]. Succeeds in dry soils in the shade[]. Grows well in light woodland shade[], succeeding amongst the roots of other plants[].
Plants are hardy to about -25°c[].
The plant has an invasive root system and can spread freely when well sited[].
Slugs are fond of this plant and have destroyed even quite large clumps by eating out all the new growth in spring[].
Most species in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[].
A very variable plant with many different forms[], it hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[].

Edible Uses

Very young leaves - cooked and used as a vegetable[, , , , ]. The leaves are said to act as a medicine as well as a food, though no details are given[]. Only young leaves are eaten as old leaves quickly become tough[].

Roots - cooked. They have been used in soups[].

Medicinal

The roots have been used as a blood medicine[]. An infusion of the root has been used to bathe the head to treat headaches[].
A compound decoction of the roots has been used as a laxative in the treatment of venereal disease[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants can be used as a ground cover in light shade, forming a dense, spreading clump[, , ].

Other Uses

None known

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[]. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks at 20°c[]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn[]. 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.