Aster flaccidus Bunge subsp. tsarungensis Grierson, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 26: 133. 1964.

Herbs, perennial, 6-45 cm tall, sometimes caespitose; rhizomes long, slender. Stems erect, simple, striate, purplish brown, moderately to densely villous, moderately to densely minutely purple stipitate glandular, sparsely leafy. Leaves basal and cauline; cauline leaves gradually reduced upward, thin, villous, sparsely stipitate glandular, margin remotely serrulate, villous-ciliate, prominently 3-veined, apex acute, tip blunt; basal leaves present at anthesis, long winged petiolate (petiole to 2.5 cm); blade spatulate to ovate or lanceolate, 0.5-5 × 0.2-1.8 cm, base attenuate; lower and middle cauline leaves broadly winged petiolate or sessile, lanceolate, 2.5-9.5 × 0.5-2.3 cm, base attenuate, sometimes subclasping (upward); upper cauline leaves (when present) sessile, linear. Capitula terminal, solitary, 4-6 cm in diam. Involucres broadly hemispheric, 2-3 cm in diam.; phyllaries 2-seriate, subequal, squarrose or spreading, oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, 6-10 × 1.5-2.5 mm, densely villous (inner phyllaries sparsely so), distally minutely stipitate glandular, membranous, margin scarious, ciliate distally, multiveined, apex shortly acuminate, purple. Ray florets 2-seriate, 60-85, bluish purple, tube and basal lamina sparsely hairy, eglandular, lamina linear-lanceolate, 13-15(-20) × 1.6-1.8 mm; disk florets yellow or purplish tinged, 4.5-5.5 mm, limb funnelform, 3-4 mm, lobes erect, triangular, 0.5-0.6 mm. Pappus 4-seriate, dirty white; outermost series of white, broad scales 0.6-0.8 mm; bristles barbellate; outer bristles few, slender, 3.1-4.5 mm; inner bristles few, 5-6.5 mm, acute; innermost bristles 6-6.5 mm, weakly clavate. Fl. and fr. Jun-Oct.

Aster tsarungensis is closely related to and usually regarded as a subspecies of A. flaccidus. However, its densely purplish brown glandular, villous stems and yellow disk florets distinguish it from that species.

● Alpine and subalpine meadows, valley slopes, Rhododendron thickets, limestone scree slopes; 2600-4800 m. W Sichuan, SE Xizang, NW Yunnan.