Common name:
Thick stemmed aster
Family:
Scientific name:
Eurybia integrifolia
Synonym:
Aster integrifolius
Main flower color:
Range:
The Great Basin and northern Rocky Mountain states, extending to east Washington
Height:
8 to 28 inches
Habitat:
Meadows, open mountain slopes, disturbed ground, at medium to high elevations
Leaves:
Ovate, up to 9 inches long, on short stalks; smooth edges, Smaller and lanceolate higher up the stem
Season:
June to August
Stems of eurybia integrifolia branch sparingly to form small, narrow (not spreading) clusters of rather untidy-looking flowerheads composed of 10 to 20 lavender-purple ray florets and a center of small disc florets that are yellow at first becoming reddish or brown as they mature and elongate. The bell-shaped involucre beneath the flowerhead has small, pointed green bracts (purplish at the tips); both it and the stem are hairy and sticky (glandular). The plant grows a little taller than many similar aster species, over 2 feet. Its range is centered on the Great Basin, extending to the mountains at either side - from the Sierra Nevada to the Rockies.
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