General:
Perennial herb from a slender, creeping rhizome; stems erect to ascending, glabrous, 10-30 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves reduced and soon deciduous; stem leaves oblanceolate, tapering to an essentially unstalked base, somewhat 3-nerved, entire, often slightly stiff-hairy on the midrib below, 2.5-3.5 cm long, 5-9 mm wide, gradually reduced upwards.

Flowers:
Heads with ray and disk flowers, several to many in a terminal cluster or rarely more branched; involucres 7-9 mm tall; involucral bracts graduated in several series, with a strong midrib or slight keel, oblong or the inner linear, obtuse to abruptly sharp-pointed, white and papery below, the light green tip often loose and spreading; ray flowers inconspicuous, 1-3 (typically 2), shorter than the pappus, white, 1-3 mm long; disk flowers few, 9-21, pale yellow with purple anthers, shorter than the pappus.

Fruits:
Achenes smooth, densely grey-hairy; pappus white.

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

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Sericocarpus rigidus
Aster curtus Cronquist