Flora of North America species comparison

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Eucephalus paucicapitatus

Eucephalus vialis
Eucephalus paucicapitatus

Olympic mountain-aster

wayside aster
Habit Perennials 20–55 cm (caudices woody). Perennials, 60–120 cm (caudices stout).
Stems

ascending to erect, pilose or glandular-pubescent.

erect, pilose to glandular-pubescent.
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.

middle and distal cauline blades lanceolate-elliptic, 5–9 cm × 15–30 mm, abaxial faces usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely pubescent, adaxial faces glandular-pubescent.
Peduncles

stipitate-glandular.

stipitate-glandular.
Involucres

turbinate-obconic, 7–9 mm.

turbinate, 8–10 mm.
Ray florets

0.
Phyllaries

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

in 3–6 series (sometimes reddish at margins and apices), linear to linear-oblong (strongly unequal), apices acute to acuminate, abaxial faces stipitate-glandular.
Heads

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

5–50(–120) in racemiform to paniculiform arrays.
Cypselae

obconic, pilose;

pappus bristles in 2 series, ± barbellate.

pilose;

pappus bristles in 2 series, smooth or ± barbellate.
Rays

7–13(–21), white.

Eucephalus paucicapitatus

Eucephalus vialis
Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering Jul.
Habitat Open subalpine meadows or scree slopes Dry open oak or coniferous woods
Elevation 800–3300 m [2600–10800 ft] 200–500 m [700–1600 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Eucephalus vialis is only known from Lane and Douglas counties. It is considered threatened. It is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 42. FNA vol. 20, p. 42.
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. breweri, E. elegans, E. engelmannii, E. glabratus, E. glaucescens, E. gormanii, E. ledophyllus, E. paucicapitatus, E. tomentellus
Synonyms Aster engelmannii var. paucicapitatus, Aster paucicapitatus Aster vialis
Name authority (B. L. Robinson) Greene: Pittonia 3: 56. (1896) Bradshaw: Torreya 20: 122. (1921)
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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