Great Northern Aster
Other Names: Western Bog Aster, Modest Aster, Northwestern Sticky Aster, Giant Mountain Aster
Family: Asteraceae
Native to: Eastern North America, Interior North America, Western North America
Eco benefits: attracts pollinators
Natural habitat: swamps & bogs, waters edge, floodplains, forest edge
Shapes: upright
Height: 1-3ft
Unique attractions: flowers
Common uses: naturalized plantings
Light: full sun, partial shade
Soil: moist and fertile, wet
Great northern aster or "modest aster" is a flowering perennial plant, native to most Canadian provinces and the northern United States. It Spreads by rhizomes to form colonies in forest openings, along riverbanks or swamps, in part shade to full sun conditions. From a single stem, branches protrude out toward the top accompanied by narrow, lance-shaped leaves. Blooms appear in late summer with corymb flower clusters in resemblance to New England aster. Flowers have narrow purple ray petals with yellow to pale disk centers, attractive to butterflies.
