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Purplestem aster

Symphyotrichum firmum

Also called Shining Aster, Glossy Leaved Aster, Shiny Leaved Aster, Smooth Swamp Aster

Purplestem aster
Photo: davecz2, CC BY-SA 4.0

Purplestem aster (Symphyotrichum firmum) is a native North American perennial aster that forms dense colonies from creeping rhizomes, and it does best in moist, sunny spots. It is a species, not a genus, and is grown mainly as a garden or native-meadow plant rather than a houseplant.

Family
Asteraceae (Daisy family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist, especially in its first season, but avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Moist, fertile loam or clay; tolerates wet ground.
Temperature
Hardy in cold temperate climates; survives winter cold and needs no protection in its native zones.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Canada to NC. & NE. U.S.A.
Climate
temperate

About

Symphyotrichum firmum (formerly Aster firmus), commonly known as shining aster, shiny-leaved aster, smooth swamp aster, and glossy-leaved aster, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae native to Canada and the United States.

Where it grows

Its range is poorly known due to confusion with the closely related Symphyotrichum puniceum. In Canada it has been recorded from Alberta to Quebec. In the United States, it occurs in the Midwest, some parts of the Northeast, and in the Appalachian Mountains south to Georgia. It is more common in the western part of its range.

Other Symphyotrichum plants

Scaleleaf aster · Manyray aster · Anticosti Island aster · Western aster · Symphyotrichum bimater · Northern bog aster · Symphyotrichum bullatum · Symphyotrichum burgessii · Western meadow aster · Carneros Aster · Savanna aster · Symphyotrichum chihuahuense

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Symphyotrichum firmum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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