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