Aster nakaii H. Léveillé & Vaniot; A. tataricus var. nakaii (H. Léveillé & Vaniot) Kitamura; A. trinervius Roxburgh ex D. Don var. longifolius Franchet & Savatier.

Herbs, perennial, 11-150 cm tall; rhizomes becoming woody; stemless rosettes often present. Stems erect, simple, ribbed, glabrate proximally to sparsely strigillose distally, minutely stipitate glandular below leaves. Leaves cauline, much reduced upward, scabrous, abaxially sparsely minutely stipitate glandular, margin scabrous-ciliate, midvein prominent abaxially, apex acuminate to acute or rounded, mucronate; lowest leaves withered by anthesis, long, slightly winged petiolate (petiole to 30 cm), petiole base sheathing; blade oblanceolate to ovate, (2.1-)30-50 × (0.9-)6-12 cm, base attenuate, margin undulate, coarsely serrate, veins pinnately 6-10-paired; lower to upper leaves shortly petiolate (base sheathing) or sessile, oblanceolate to lanceolate, 2-18 × 0.6-5 cm, base attenuate, margin coarsely serrate to serrulate or entire; synflorescence leaves lanceolate, 1.3-7 × 0.2-1 cm. Capitula (2-)14-50 or more, in terminal corymbiform synflorescences; peduncles 25-65 mm, sparsely strigillose, moderately to densely minutely stipitate glandular; bracts linear-lanceolate, entire, sometimes grading into phyllaries. Involucres campanulate, 7-10(-12) mm; phyllaries 3-seriate, unequal, green along midvein, membranous, base ± hardened, margin erose, ciliate, midvein ± pronounced, slightly translucent; outer phyllaries narrowly lanceolate, 4-5 × 0.8-1 mm, sparsely strigillose, distally sparsely minutely stipitate glandular, sometimes ± leaflike, margin narrowly scarious, apex acute, ciliate, tip purplish; middle phyllaries oblong to lanceolate-oblong, 6-7 × ca. 1 mm, abaxially glabrous to sparsely strigillose distally or along midvein, eglandular or very sparsely glandular, margin scarious, apex acuminate, sometimes mucronate, distal margin and apex purplish; inner phyllaries linear-lanceolate to linear-oblong, 8-10 × 0.6-1 mm, glabrous, sparsely minutely stipitate glandular, margin scarious, apex acuminate, erose, purplish. Ray florets 14-30, blue or pale lavender or to purple, lamina 7-15 × 1.5-2.5 mm, glabrous, eglandular; disk florets yellow, 5-7 mm, limb campanulate, 3.5-4 mm, lobes erect, tip spreading, narrowly triangular, ca. 2 mm, glabrous, eglandular. Achenes dark, obovoid, slightly compressed, 2.5-3 mm, sparsely to moderately strigillose, sparsely minutely stipitate glandular apically, 4-6-ribbed. Pappus 4-seriate, reddish, of barbellate bristles; outermost bristles few, slender, 0.2-0.3 mm; outer bristles slender 1.5-2 mm; inner bristles 4.5-5 mm, tapering; innermost bristles 6-7 mm, slightly clavate. Fl. Jul-Sep, fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 54.

The roots of Aster tataricus are used medicinally to relieve coughs and reduce sputum.

Shaded damp places, meadows, steppes, damp riverbanks; 400-3300 m. Anhui, Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan [Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia].