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

Habitat: Open, usually moist areas, low to high elevations in the mountains.

Flowers: July-September

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bees, flies, butterflies

Fibrous-rooted perennial from a creeping rhizome, highly variable in size, the herbage glabrous or soft-pubescent.

Leaves entire, the lower oblanceolate to obovate, petiolate, often deciduous; other leaves lanceolate to ovate, sessile, 5-12 cm. long and 1-4 cm. wide, 3.5-7 times as long as wide.

Heads 1-many in a flat-topped inflorescence; involucre bracts leafy, imbricate, white-margined at the base; disk flowers numerous, yellow; rays 15-60, 1-2 cm. long, pistillate, rose-purple to blue or violet; pappus of numerous capillary bristles, white or tawny.

Fruit an achene.