Symphyotrichum spathulatum

Western mountain aster

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Western mountain aster is a California native perennial found in mountain and subalpine regions with rocky or open habitats at elevations ranging from high-elevation mountain zones. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces delicate violet ray flowers 8 to 12 millimeters long in open, cluster-like arrangements. Growing with erect stems 15 to 45 centimeters tall, it develops from a long rhizomatous root system and can be glabrous or slightly hairy. Its leaves range from 5 to 15 centimeters long, becoming progressively smaller toward the stem's tip, with acute edges and a nearly entire margin. The plant's distinctive flower heads feature linear to oblong phyllaries with green tips and pale margins, creating an elegant mountain wildflower profile.

California counties: Lassen, Mono, San Bernardino, Placer, Tulare, Tuolumne, Fresno, Amador, Trinity, Mariposa, Alpine, Siskiyou, Calaveras, Nevada, Plumas, Riverside, Inyo, Shasta, Sierra, El Dorado, Butte, Madera, Kern, Lake, Yuba, Colusa, Mendocino, Stanislaus, Humboldt, Napa, Del Norte, Sutter, Solano, Modoc, Tehama, Sacramento, Sonoma, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Alameda, Yolo

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