Flora of North America species comparison

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Eucephalus paucicapitatus

Eucephalus breweri
Eucephalus paucicapitatus

Olympic mountain-aster

Brewer's aster
Habit Perennials 20–55 cm (caudices woody). Perennials, 10–100 cm (caudices woody).
Stems

ascending to erect, pilose or glandular-pubescent.

ascending to erect, glabrate or woolly, eglandular or glandular.
Leaves

mid and distal blades elliptic to elliptic-oblong, 2–4 cm × 4–13 mm, sparsely scabrous to stipitate-glandular abaxially, moderately stipitate-glandular adaxially.

mid and distal blades linear-lanceolate to ovate, 2–5 cm × 6–15 mm, faces glabrate and eglandular to moderately glandular and/or woolly.
Peduncles

stipitate-glandular.

sparsely to densely woolly and glandular.
Involucres

turbinate-obconic, 7–9 mm.

turbinate-cylindric, 6–10 mm.
Phyllaries

in 2–3 series (whitish), lance-linear (unequal), apices acute, abaxial faces stipitate-glandular.

in 3–4 series (sometimes reddish along margins), lance-linear to lance-oblong, ± subequal, margins eciliate, apices acuminate, abaxial faces glabrate and eglandular to moderately woolly or glandular.
Heads

usually 2–4 in racemiform to corymbiform arrays, somtimes borne singly.

1–15(–35) in racemiform to corymbiform or paniculiform arrays.
Cypselae

obconic, pilose;

pappus bristles in 2 series, ± barbellate.

strigose;

pappus bristles in 1 series (6–10 mm), barbellate.
Rays

7–13(–21), white.

0.
2n

= 18.

Eucephalus paucicapitatus

Eucephalus breweri
Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Open subalpine meadows or scree slopes Open coniferous forest and subalpine meadows
Elevation 800–3300 m (2600–10800 ft) 1500–3000(–3500) m (4900–9800(–11500) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eucephalus paucicapitatus is found on Vancouver Island, where it is very uncommon, and the Olympic Peninsula. It is closely related to E. gormanii.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Eucephalus breweri is found in the Sierra Nevada. Specimens at the northern edge of the range may intergrade with E. glabratus and E. tomentellus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 42. FNA vol. 20, p. 40.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Eucephalus Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Eucephalus
Sibling taxa
E. breweri, E. elegans, E. engelmannii, E. glabratus, E. glaucescens, E. gormanii, E. ledophyllus, E. tomentellus, E. vialis
E. elegans, E. engelmannii, E. glabratus, E. glaucescens, E. gormanii, E. ledophyllus, E. paucicapitatus, E. tomentellus, E. vialis
Synonyms Aster engelmannii var. paucicapitatus, Aster paucicapitatus Chrysopsis breweri, Aster breweri, Heterotheca breweri
Name authority (B. L. Robinson) Greene: Pittonia 3: 56. (1896) (A. Gray) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 254. (1995)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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