Symphyotrichum lanceolatum var. hesperium

Western lance leaf aster

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Western lance leaf aster is a California native perennial found in southern California coastal areas, Peninsular Ranges, and southeastern Sierra Nevada in wet places at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces white to violet ray flowers 6 to 12 millimeters long in delicate clusters. Growing with tall stems 60 to 160 centimeters high that have distinctive lines of fine hairs, it spreads through a long underground rhizome. Its lance-shaped leaves range 8 to 16 centimeters long, appearing somewhat hairy with entire to slightly serrated edges. The fruit is covered with fine hairs, contributing to the plant's distinctive texture.

Habitat: Wet places

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: < 2000 m

Bioregions: SCo, PR, SNE

California counties: Orange, Mono, San Bernardino, Inyo, Lassen, Santa Barbara, Butte, Kern, Los Angeles, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Diego, Alpine, Riverside, Ventura, Nevada, San Joaquin, Sonoma, Trinity, Tuolumne

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