woodland wildflower

Large-leaved aster

Eurybia macrophylla

Also known as Bigleaf Aster, Large-leaf Wood-aster

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Quebec to Minnesota, south to upland Georgia and Tennessee

In the garden

A woodland wildflower for sun through shade and dry to moist soil. Its white flowers peak in August. Hardy in USDA zones 2–7.

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Find your zone:

The Large-leaved aster's white flowers bloom July to October, peaking in August. This late-summer display draws bees and flower flies.

Large-leaved aster blooms white, blue & purpleFoliage

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee +18 more
Tricolored Bumble Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Red-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Longhorn Bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Yellow-banded Bumble Bee, Oblong Woolcarder Bee, Yellowish Cuckoo Bumble bee, Hairy-banded Mining Bee, Sanderson's Bumble Bee, frigid bumble bee, Aster Mining Bee, Lunate Longhorn-cuckoo Bee, Lasioglossum coriaceum, Pseudopanurgus andrenoides
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher

also Eastern Calligrapher, Transverse-banded Flower Fly, Narrow-headed Marsh Fly +8 more
Black-shouldered Drone Fly, Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly, Oblique-banded Pond Fly, Bald-faced Hornet Fly, Black-horned Smoothtail, Sericomyia militaris, Bare-winged Aphideater, Orange-spotted Drone Fly
Butterflies Monarch

also American Lady, Clouded Sulphur, Peck's Skipper +2 more
Aphrodite Fritillary, Arctic Fritillary
Also visited by
- Wasps:
  
  Fraternal Potter Wasp, Common Aerial Yellowjacket +4 more
  Euodynerus hidalgo boreoorientalis, Northern Aerial Yellowjacket, Ancistrocerus campestris, Vespula vidua

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (26): CT, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV. Canada (5): NB, NS, ON, PE, QC. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Quebec to Minnesota, south to upland Georgia and TennesseeThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Light: Full sun to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: Dry to moistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 2–7 · Canadian 1–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Moist to drier soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil pH: 4.9–6.9The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Salinity tolerance: NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: MediumHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 10+ in (25+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Cold stratification: Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Bare root, container, seed, sprigsHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~0.8 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: MediumHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: ModerateWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.