Aster tricapitatus Vaniot; A. vaniotii H. Léveillé.

Herbs, perennial, 20-60 cm, caespitose; rhizomes procumbent or ascending; new rosettes sometimes present. Stems erect or ascending, simple, leafy, moderately to densely strigose and villosulous. Leaves basal and cauline; cauline leaves gradually reduced upward, sparsely to densely hispidulous, eglandular or sometimes sparsely minutely stipitate glandular, 3-veined, main veins abaxially prominent; basal leaves withered by anthesis, long winged petiolate, narrowly spatulate to obovate or oblanceolate, 2.5-8 × 0.5-1.5 cm, base attenuate, margin shallowly serrate distally, apex rounded or obtuse to acute; lower cauline leaves often marcescent, winged petiolate; blade lanceolate, base attenuate; middle and upper leaves erect; blade oblong to lanceolate, base attenuate, subclasping, margin serrate distally or entire, apex rounded to obtuse, mucronulate. Capitula 2-30 in terminal corymbiform synflorescences, sometimes terminal, solitary, 2.5-3.5 cm in diam.; peduncles 2-10 cm or more, densely strigillose and villosulous, sparsely to moderately minutely stipitate glandular; bracts linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate. Involucres hemispheric, 0.6-0.7(-0.8) × 1-1.2 cm; phyllaries 3-seriate, subequal, abaxially moderately strigillose, sparsely to moderately minutely stipitate glandular proximally; outer phyllaries oblanceolate, sometimes spatulate, 5-7 × 1.3-2 mm, leaflike, margin narrowly scarious, ciliate, midvein brownish, translucent, apex rounded or acute, sometimes purplish; inner phyllaries lanceolate, leaflike distally, purplish distally, margin ciliate, apex obtuse or acute. Ray florets 21-34, blue-purple to pink or pinkish white, tube glabrous, lamina 11-17 × 1-2 mm, glabrous, eglandular; disk florets yellow, 4-5 mm, tube ca. 1.7 mm, limb funnelform, 3-3.5 mm, glabrous, minutely stipitate glandular proximally, lobes spreading, triangular, equal, 0.7-1 mm. Achenes broadly obovoid, compressed, ca. 2 mm, densely strigillose, eglandular, margin 2-ribbed, densely strigillose-ciliate. Pappus 4-seriate, dirty white, barbellate throughout, sometimes outermost bristles few, slender, 0.5-0.7 mm; outer bristles few, slender, 2-3 mm; inner bristles 3.5-4 mm, acute; innermost bristles 4-4.5 mm, weakly clavate. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.

The flowering capitula of Aster oreophilus are used medicinally to alleviate pain and as an antiphlogistic.

● Alpine and subalpine forest margins, grasslands, pastures, open slopes, roadsides; 2000-4000 m. SW Sichuan, Xizang, N and NW Yunnan.