Symphyotrichum frondosum

Short rayed alkali aster

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Short rayed alkali aster is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, northern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Great Basin in marshes and lake edges, often in alkaline habitats at elevations of 700 to 2,450 meters. Flowering from May to October, this plant produces pink-purple ray flowers less than 8 millimeters long in delicate clusters with numerous narrow rays. Growing with stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall that are decumbent to erect and nearly smooth, it has a spreading, adaptable form. Its leaves are sessile, elliptic to obovate, 2 to 5 centimeters long, ranging from glabrous to finely ciliate along the edges. The fruits are slightly hairy, adding texture to the plant's overall appearance.

Habitat: Marshes, lake edges, often alkaline

Bloom period: May-Oct

Elevation: 700-2450 m

Bioregions: KR, CaR, SN, n CW, TR, PR, GB

California counties: Lake, Inyo, San Bernardino, San Diego, Mono, Siskiyou, Lassen, Kern, Tulare, Plumas, Modoc, Fresno, Ventura, Alameda, Nevada, El Dorado

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