Montana Field Guide

Rhizomatous perennial. Stems erect, 30–80 cm. Herbage glandular-puberulent. Leaves cauline, sessile, lanceolate, weakly serrate to entire, 4–10 cm long, clasping above, the lowest deciduous. Inflorescence leafy-corymbiform, often short with few heads; peduncles stipitate-glandular. Heads radiate; involucre narrowly campanulate, 6–10 mm high; phyllaries subequal, linear-lanceolate, glandular, green or purplish; the outer foliaceous. Ray flowers female, 20 to 65, purple; ligules 7–12 mm long. Disk flowers 40 to 65, perfect, whitish to purplish; corolla 5–7 mm long; style branches deltoid. Pappus of numerous capillary bristles, brownish. Achenes fusiform, 4- to 9-nerved, 2–4 mm long, sparsely strigose (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Moist meadows, thickets, open forests, especially along streams, wetlands; valleys, montane (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).