Foothills. Base of talus at edge of woodlands, openings. Late summer, fall.
Lower Dolores River, October 18, 2007.

William Weber calls this plant Eucephalus glaucus, John Kartesz calls it Eurybia glauca, Flora of North America calls it Herrickia glaucus, and Intermountain Flora calls it Aster glaucodes.  I at first identified the plant shown in these photographs as Virgulaster ascendens.  This is a difficult plant to name --  and to key out.  After consulting with Leslie Stewart, USFS plant expert, I came to accept that the plant pictured is  E. glaucus -- or one of its other names.  The problem seems to be that a number of plants hybridize and are, therefore, difficult to identify.  The key characteristics that lead me to identify the plants shown on this page as E. glaucus are: the great masses of plants arising from roots, the blue-green leaf color, and the phyllaries (see next photo).

The plant was first named Eucephalus glaucus in 1841 by famed botanist, Thomas Nuttall, who was the first to collect this species (near the "sources of the Platte, and in the Rocky Mts."); Torrey and Gray named it Aster glaucus in 1841; Sidney Blake named it Aster glaucodes in 1922; and Luc Brouillet named it Herrickia glaucus in 2004.

Foothills. Base of talus at edge of woodlands, openings. Late summer, fall.
Lower Dolores River, October 18, 2007.

The characteristics of the phyllaries are the main reason I identify this plant as Eucephalus glaucus.  Phyllaries are in several rows and overlap, shingle style; outer phyllaries are broader than inner; phyllaries have a strong central vein which sometimes protrudes, keel-like; all phyllaries are very light green to almost cream; inner phyllaries are maroon edged; and finally, outer phyllaries are rounded and inner are more pointed.

Foothills. Base of talus at edge of woodlands, openings. Late summer, fall.
Lower Dolores River, October 18, 2007.

Leaves can sometimes be very finely serrated.