[Members of the Sunflower Family with Daisy-like Heads of Mt. Adams]
The Asters of Mt. Adams

The Genus Aster

(now split into several new genera)

The photo at right shows the involucral bracts of rough-leaved aster. 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 generally tend to be roughly the same length.
The flower head of leafy Aster (var. parryi) shown at right. The rays of the asters tend to be fewer in number and broader than those of most of the fleabanes.

Great Northern Aster: Canadanthus modestus (formerly Aster modestus) -

Klickitat Aster: Eucephalus glaucescens (formerly Aster glaucescens) -

Cascade Aster: Eucephalus ledophyllus var. ledophyllus (formerly Aster ledophyllus) -

Rough-leaved Aster: Eurybia radulina (formerly Aster radulinus) -

Alpine Aster, Tundra Aster: Oreostemma alpigenum var. alpigenum (Synonyms: Aster alpigenus, Aster alpigenus ssp. alpigenus, Aster alpigenus var. alpigenus, Haplopappus alpigenus) -

Western Meadow Aster: Symphyotrichum campestre var. bloomeri (formerly Aster campestris var. bloomeri) -

Leafy Aster: Symphyotrichum foliaceum var. apricum (formerly Aster foliaceus var. apricus) -

Leafy Aster: Symphyotrichum foliaceum var. parryi (formerly Aster foliaceus var. parryi) -

Western Mountain Aster: Symphyotrichum spathulatum var. spatulatum (formerly Aster occidentalis ) -

Douglas' Aster: Symphyotrichum subspicatum var. subspicatum (formerly Aster subspicatus ) -

Unidentified Aster: Possibly western mountain aster (Symphyotrichum spathulatum) .

Paul Slichter E-mail