Eucephalus engelmannii
| Eucephalus engelmannii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Compositae |
| Tribe: | Astereae |
| Genus: | Eucephalus |
| Species: | E. engelmannii |
| Binomial name | |
| Eucephalus engelmannii (D.C.Eaton) Greene | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Aster engelmannii | |
Eucephalus engelmannii (formerly Aster engelmannii) is a species of aster known by the common name Engelmann's aster. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in mountain woods and meadows. It is a perennial herb growing from a woody caudex and sending a slender, branching, hairy stem to a maximum height near 1.5 meters. The mostly hairless leaves are generally oval in shape and up to 10 centimeters long, with the lowest ones much reduced. The inflorescence holds several flower heads lined in keeled, pointed, hairy-edged phyllaries with purplish margins at the tips. Each head has several white to pinkish or light violet ray florets each up to 2 centimeters long and a center of yellow disc florets. The fruit is a hairy achene.