Purplestem Aster - PollinateHV Local Ecotype
Symphyotrichum punicem
Certified Organic
The pretty purple and gold flowers of Purplestem Aster give a wispy appearance to late-season borders and gardens—a fittingly soft effect that helps the garden transition out of summer. Its blooms are also a positive force in your landscape, serving as a great source of nectar for bumblebees and supplying pollen and nectar to miner bees, cuckoo bees, leafcutter bees, cellophane bees, and sweat bees. It’s known to support at least 18 native Hudson Valley pollinators whose populations are threatened or declining.
An easy-to-grow plant, Purplestem Aster is quite adaptable but grows best in soils that stay on the moist side, growing well in both full sun and semi-shade.
This local ecotype seed is of Hudson Valley wild origin and has been scaled for production on our farm in Accord, NY.
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Growing instructions
Product Details
| Days to Maturity | 180 days |
|---|---|
| Days to Germination | 60+ |
| Height at Maturiry | 36 - 60 inches |
| Hardiness Zone Range | Zones 4-9 |
| Sun Conditions | Full Sun to Light Shade |
| Planting Depth | _ inches |
| Row Spacing | 24 inches |
| Plant Spacing | 12 inches |
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Pollinator Partnerships
The Lemon Cuckoo Bumblebee
Bombus citrinus
The lemon cuckoo bumblebee is a “social parasite” - it survives by taking over the colonies of other bumblebee species, eliminating the colonies’ queen bees, and forcing the worker bees to care for its own offspring. It relies on these host bee species to reproduce, and most of its host bees have stable populations in the Northeast. However, the lemon cuckoo bumblebee is still declining, with a conservation rank of S2 (imperiled) in New York. This decline might be due to declines in its food plants, which include native asters and goldenrods often found in fallow fields.
The Orange-legged Furrow Bee
Halictus rubicundus
Scientists are still learning about the habits and needs of solitary bees like the Orange-legged Furrow Bee, which is known to feed on purple-stemmed American aster. This small, ground-nesting bee is likely only able to travel short distances in search of food, meaning that increasing the presence of native plants like asters across our landscapes may be key to its survival. Overwintering queen bees emerge later in spring than many other hibernating bee species.
PollinateHV is a collaboration between the Hudson Valley Seed Company and Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley in support of threatened native pollinators.
We worked with a team of expert botanists, seed collectors, nursery growers and farmers to produce local ecotype native seeds to support at-risk Hudson Valley pollinators. You can find more information about this project at pollinatehv.org/seed-work. Learn more about the Hudson Valley's threatened pollinators and find resources to install pollinator habitat at all scales at pollinatehv.org.