Doellingeria breweri
Brewer's aster
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Berger · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Doellingeria breweri (Brewer's aster) is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by uniquely discoid (no ray flowers) vs radiate congeners.
Brewer's aster is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and San Bernardino Mountains in subalpine meadows and open woodland at elevations of 1,200 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces white flowers in discoid heads arranged in cyme-like clusters. Growing with stems 10 to 100 centimeters tall that are slightly glandular or woolly-hairy, it has an upright, open growth habit. Its leaves range from lance-linear to ovate, 2 to 5 centimeters long, with smooth to slightly toothed edges and surfaces that are nearly smooth to glandular-hairy. The fruit has a distinctive pappus of bristles more than 5 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; uniquely discoid (no ray flowers) vs radiate congeners
Habitat and range
Habitat: Subalpine meadows, open woodland
Elevation: 1200-3200 m
California counties: Tuolumne, Lassen, Butte, Fresno, Tulare, Inyo, El Dorado, Mono, Alpine, Amador, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, Del Norte, Kern, Madera, Mariposa, Shasta, Tehama, Siskiyou, Calaveras
Bloom period
Doellingeria breweri blooms Jul-Sep.
Frequently asked questions
Is Doellingeria breweri native to California?
Yes. Doellingeria breweri is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Doellingeria breweri bloom?
Doellingeria breweri blooms Jul-Sep.
Where in California does Doellingeria breweri grow?
Doellingeria breweri occurs in Tuolumne, Lassen, Butte, Fresno, Tulare, Inyo, El Dorado, Mono and other counties, at elevations of 1200-3200 m.
What plant family does Doellingeria breweri belong to?
Doellingeria breweri is in the Asteraceae family, genus Doellingeria.
What habitat does Doellingeria breweri grow in?
Doellingeria breweri grows in Subalpine meadows, open woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.