Eurybia merita

Subalpine aster

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Subalpine aster is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges in montane forest at elevations of 1,300 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces purple to violet ray flowers 7 to 12 millimeters long in flat-topped clusters. Growing with decumbent to ascending stems 20 to 50 centimeters tall that are short-soft-wavy-hairy, it develops woody rhizomes with age. Its lanceolate to oblanceolate leaves range 1 to 8 centimeters long, with small ear-like lobes at the base of mid-stem leaves and margins that are entire to minutely serrate. The fruit is finely strigose with a white to red-brown pappus 5 to 6 millimeters long.

Habitat: Montane forest

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 1300-2000 m

Bioregions: KR

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.