Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to southern California, east to the Great Plains.
Habitat: Dry, open places in the plains and foothills, occasionally extending into the mountains.
Flowers: July-October
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bees, flies, beetles, wasps
Biennial or short-lived perennial from a tap-root, 1-5 dm. tall, branched and several-stemmed, covered with fine, gray hairs.
Basal leaves linear-oblanceolate to spatulate, up to 10 cm. long including the petiole, and 15 mm. wide, often deciduous; cauline leaves smaller, linear; all leaves toothed, the teeth tipped with small spines.
Heads fairly numerous in an open inflorescence; involucre 6-10 mm. high, often glandular, its bracts imbricate and narrow, papery, except the tip green and sharply recurved; rays 8-25, bright bluish-purple, 5-12 mm. long; pappus of capillary bristles.
Achenes 3-4 mm. long, several-nerved.
Publication: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 300. 1840.
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var. incana – hoary-aster, tall hoary-aster
Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to Oregon, east to Idaho.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Dieteria canescens in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.
WA Flora Checklist: Dieteria canescens checklist entry.
OregonFlora: Dieteria canescens information.
E-Flora BC: Dieteria canescens atlas page.
CalPhotos: Dieteria canescens photos.
USDA Plants: Dieteria canescens information.
