Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.

Habitat: Meadows and forest openings, from middle elevations to the subalpine.

Flowers: July-September

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bees, flies, butterflies

Fibrous-rooted perennial from a creeping rhizome, the stems 2-10 dm. tall.

Leaves glabrous and entire, the lower ones oblanceolate and petiolate, the others narrower and sessile, 3-15 cm. long and 3-10 mm. wide.

Heads 1-many in a flat-topped inflorescence; involucre 5-7 mm. high, its bracts usually pointed, narrow, linear or linear-oblong, green to the base and minutely purple-tipped; disk flowers numerous, yellow; rays 20-50, blue or violet, 6-15 mm. long; pappus of numerous capillary bristles.

Achenes hairy.