Symphyotrichum spathulatum var. intermedium

Larger western mountain aster

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Larger western mountain aster is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and Great Basin in mountain meadows at elevations of 1,200 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white to lavender flowers in clusters of 10 to 50 heads. Growing with erect stems 40 to 80 centimeters tall, it forms dense clusters in open meadow environments. Its leaves are distinctively lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, arranged alternately along the stem, providing a delicate texture to the plant's overall appearance. The numerous flower heads create a soft, billowing effect characteristic of mountain aster species.

Habitat: Meadows

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 1200-2000 m

Bioregions: NW, CaR, SN, GB

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