Eucephalus ledophyllus

Eucephalus ledophyllus is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Cascade aster. It is native to Washington, Oregon and northern California in the United States, mostly in the Cascade Mountains.^[1] Some of the populations are inside national parks and monuments: Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.^[1][4][5]

Eucephalus ledophyllus
Dark Divide in Washington
Mount Rainier National Park
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Eucephalus
Species:	E. ledophyllus
Binomial name
Eucephalus ledophyllus (A.Gray) Greene
Synonyms[2]
Aster engelmannii var. ledophyllus A. Gray 1872 Aster ledophyllus (A. Gray) A. Gray Aster covillei (Greene) S.F.Blake ex M.Peck, syn of var. covillei Doellingeria ledophylla (A.Gray) Semple, Brouillet & G.A.Allen[3] Eucephalus covillei Greene, syn of var. covillei

Eucephalus ledophyllus is a perennial herb up to 80 cm (32 inches) tall, with a large woody caudex. One plant will usually produce 3-20 flower heads in a showy array. Each head has 5–21 purple ray florets surrounding numerous yellow disc florets.^[6]

Varieties

• Eucephalus ledophyllus var. covillei (Greene) G.L.Nesom - Oregon, California - flower stalks not cottony
• Eucephalus ledophyllus var. ledophyllus - Washington, Oregon - flower stalks cottony