Asteraceae

Aster foliaceus

Leafybract Aster

Erect, highly variable in height. Stems often reddish, hairy to hairless. Basal leaves 2–5 in. long, egg-shaped, with short petioles; stem leaves sessile. Flower heads single or few in open cyme with leaf-like, oblong to egg-shaped bracts. Ray flowers violet, purple, blue, or rose; disk yellow. Grows in open woods, subalpine meadows, along streams, at high elevations. Var. apricus is less than 9 in. tall, with decumbent or ascending stems; grows in alpine to subalpine. Var. parryi, more than 9 in. tall, has upper leaves smooth, moderately clasping; bracts under flowers small; grows along streams and wet places in mountains. Aster cusickii, of Wallowa Mountains, is more than 9 in. tall, with middle and upper leaves hairy, strongly clasping; not in alpine zone.

• Rarity: Common
• Flowering Time: Late Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 6--24 inches
• Habitat: Meadow, West-Side Forest, East-Side Forest, Subalpine, Alpine
• Found In: Olympic Np, Mt. Rainier Np, N Cascades Np, Crater Lake Np, Wallowas, Steens, West Gorge
• Native: Yes