Bigelow's tansyaster
Machaeranthera bigelovii · Asteraceae
Bigelow's tansyaster (Machaeranthera bigelovii) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 10 and warmer, down to about 32°F.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 4 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | low USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 6–8.5 USDA |
| Bloom | September–November USDA |
| Flower color | Purple USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 10 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having low water needs once established. Its drought tolerance is rated high. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 8.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 10.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 4 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of September through November. Flowers are purple.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, fine in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 6 to 18 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 160 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 6 inches. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.
Propagating it
Seed is the only propagation method USDA lists. Division and cuttings are not listed as options. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a rapid rate. It does not spread vegetatively, so it will stay where you put it.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it highly palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Machaeranthera
- tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia
Similar role and hardiness
- pineapple Ananas comosus
- clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella
- jewelweed Impatiens capensis
- swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol MABIB, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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