# Showy Aster (*Eurybia conspicua*)

The Showy Aster is a beautiful flower that blooms in late summer and early fall. Its bright purple petals attract butterflies and bees, making gardens lively and colorful!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Fields and roadsides

![Showy Aster](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Eurybia_conspicua_1.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eurybia_conspicua_1.jpg)

## Appearance

The Showy Aster has striking large flower heads, typically 3-6 cm wide, with numerous bright purple to lavender ray petals radiating around a dense yellow center of disc florets. Its robust stems hold clusters of these star-like blooms, making it stand out from smaller asters.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Asterales
- **Family:** Asteraceae
- **Genus:** Eurybia

## Interesting facts

- A single Showy Aster plant can produce dozens of dazzling, star-shaped flowers!
- Butterflies and bees flock to Showy Asters for their sweet nectar, especially in autumn!
- Its name "Aster" means "star" in ancient Greek, perfectly describing its many-petaled flowers!
- Some Native American tribes traditionally used aster plants for various herbal remedies!

## Special abilities

- **Autumn Allure:** Showy Aster can bloom late into fall, providing vital nectar for migrating insects and other pollinators when other flowers fade.
- **Underground Explorer:** Showy Aster has spreading rhizomes, tough underground stems that help it create new plants and spread across meadows.
- **Wind Sailor Seeds:** Showy Aster produces tiny seeds topped with fluffy bristles, allowing them to catch the wind and float far away to new spots.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-100 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 3-6 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late summer to fall (July-October)
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Two-form Bumble Bee (*Bombus bifarius*) — collects nectar and pollen
- **Pollinates:** [Monarch Butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — sips nectar during migration
- **Eaten by:** [Mule Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mule-deer) (*Odocoileus hemionus*) — browses on leaves and stems
- **Depends on:** Asteroid Moth (*Ceramica picta*) — caterpillars feed on foliage

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't pick flowers unless you have permission!

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Showy Aster?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Showy Aster?

30-100 cm

### How wide does Showy Aster spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Showy Aster?

3-6 cm

### When does Showy Aster bloom?

Late summer to fall (July-October)

### Is Showy Aster edible?

No

### Is Showy Aster toxic?

None

### What is Showy Aster's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Darke Lake Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/darke-lake-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Showy Aster: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/showy-aster)