General:
Perennial herb from a stout, woody stem-base; stems erect, branched above, glabrous or sometimes soft-hairy, 0.1-1.5 m tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves soon deciduous; stem leaves soon deciduous below, middle ones oblanceolate, stalked, 5-10 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, upper ones linear to lance-elliptic, unstalked or nearly so, entire or slightly toothed, glabrous to hairy, becoming reduced upward and awl-shaped.

Flowers:
Heads with ray and disk flowers, few to more usually numerous in an often diffuse inflorescence, sometimes one-sided on the branches; involucres 3.5-8 mm tall; involucral bracts subequal or graduated, with a loose, awl-shaped, marginally inrolled, green tip; ray flowers 16-35, white or sometimes pink or purple, 5-10 mm long; disk flowers yellow.

Fruits:
Achenes about 1 mm long, hairy; pappus of numerous white, hairlike 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

Flower Colour:
Purple

Blooming Period:
Late Summer

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Fall

Source:  The USDA

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Aster ericoides var. platyphyllus Torr. & A. Gray
Aster ericoides var. villosus (Michx.) Torr. & A. Gray
Aster juniperinus Burgess
Aster pilosus Willd.
Aster pilosus var. pilosus
Aster pilosus var. platyphyllus (Torr. & A. Gray) S.F. Blake
Aster ramosissimus auct. non Mill.
Aster villosus Michx.