Herb: Common Blue Wood Aster


Latin name: Aster cordifolius


Family: Compositae



Medicinal use of Common Blue Wood Aster:

An infusion of the plant is used as an aromatic nervine and also in the treatment of rheumatism.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
150 cm
(5 feet)

Flowering:
September
to October

Habitat of the herb:

Woods and thickets.

Edible parts of Common Blue Wood Aster:

Leaves - cooked and used as greens.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - surface sow in spring in a cold frame. Do not allow the compost to become dry. Pre-chilling the seed for two weeks can improve germination rates. The seed usually germinates in 2 weeks at 20°C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring or autumn. Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.

Cultivation of Common Blue Wood Aster:

Woods and thickets.

Known hazards of Aster cordifolius:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.