purplestem aster
Symphyotrichum puniceum · Asteraceae
purplestem aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 3 and warmer, down to about -35°F.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 8.1 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | high USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Soil pH | 4.5–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | September–November USDA |
| Flower color | Blue USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 3 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | understory 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 needs consistently moist ground. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It tolerates saturated, poorly drained ground well (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance high). It is recorded on soils from pH 4.5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 3.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 8.1 ft, making it a plant that will finish above head height. It grows slowly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of September through November. Flowers are blue.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its active growth period is spring, summer, fall. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 17 to 25 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 90 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 10 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, bare root and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a slow rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated medium. Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.
Role in a guild
Understory. In a layered planting this is the layer beneath the canopy, tall enough to hold structure but shaded from above. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Symphyotrichum
- Pacific aster Symphyotrichum chilense
- common blue wood aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium
- alpine leafybract aster Symphyotrichum foliaceum
- white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum
Similar role and hardiness
- bigtooth maple Acer grandidentatum
- gray alder Alnus incana
- Canadian serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis
- gray birch Betula populifolia
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol SYPUP, 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, fire tolerance, 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, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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