Rough-leaf Aster, Rough-leaved Aster: Eurybia radulina (Synonym: Aster radulinus)

The photo above shows part of the inflorescence of rough-leaved aster as seen along the Island Springs Trail #66, east slopes of Mt. Adams, Yakima Nation lands at the location denoted below...........August 25, 2005. Note the narrow disk and lavender, propellor-shaped ray flowers.

Characteristics:

Rough-leaf aster is a perennial wildflower with erect stems from 15-60 cm high. The stems are hairy but not glandular. The lower leaves are obovate to oval in shape, the blade tapering to ciliate margined petioles. The leaves of mid-stem are narrowly oval, measuring from 4-12.5 cm long and 1-7 cm wide. The base of these leaves are sessile, and the tips are acute. The margins are toothed (except at the base) and the upper surface of the blades are smooth. The upper leaves are reduced to entire bracts.

The inflorescence is a flat or rounded cyme or cymose panicle. The heads are 1.5-2.5 cm wide and the stems below the heads are hairy. The involucre is 6-9 mm tall with the inner bracts narrow and ciliate margined and spreading tips which are greenish. The midrib of the bracts is keeled and the margins are purplish. There are 10-15 white to purple rays, each of which is 8-12 mm long. The disk corollas are 7-8 mm long.

Habitat:

Rough-leaf aster maybe found in dry, open woodlands.

Range:

Rough-leaf aster is found west of the Cascade summit from Washington south to central California. It is also found in the Ochoco Mts. of central Oregon.

The photo above shows the upper stem of rough-leaved aster as seen along the Island Springs Trail #66 on the eastern slopes of Mt. Adams. Note the alternating leaves and the slightly zigzag appearance of the stem.

The photo above shows the involucral bracts of rough-leaved aster as seen along the Island Springs Trail #66...........August 25, 2005. Note the shingled appearance of the purple-tipped involucral bracts. The fleabanes (genus Erigeron) and asters are often both similar in appearance and can be distinguished partly by bloom period (the fleabanes tend to bloom earlier and the asters later) and by the arrangement of the involucral bracts. The bracts of the asters, as seen here, tend to overlap like shingles, with the outermost the shortest and the innermost the longest. All the bracts of the fleabanes tend to be roughly the same length.

The photo above shows the lower leaf surface of rough-leaved aster. The blades tend to be slightly wider toward the tips and narrow gradually to the base.