General:
Perennial herb from a fibrous root; stems erect, solitary, branched above, sparsely woolly-hairy when young, 0.3-2 m tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves alternate, egg-shaped to triangular or lanceolate, the bases squared off or wedge- or heart-shaped, stalked, the blades 5-15 cm long, 1-7 cm wide, strongly toothed, sparsely woolly-hairy when young, persistently so on the lower surfaces, upper leaves unstalked or with very short stalks.

Flowers:
Heads discoid, solitary at ends of branches in a clustered inflorescence; involucres 10-14 mm tall; involucral bracts in 3-4 series, the margins and tips dark pigmented, the outer bracts egg-shaped, shorter than the inner, long-hairy; disk flowers pale purple or rarely white, 8-21 (typically 13); receptacles papery.

Fruits:
Achenes oblong, nerved, 4-6 mm, glabrous; pappus of brownish, feathery bristles.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia