This northeastern octoploid (2n = 72) occurs only in disjunct populations west of the central Appalachians. It is under-collected in Ky., because plants often do not flower in shady undisturbed forest (see also Y). Several segregates were recognized by F and others, but have been combined in recent treatments (e.g. Cr, FNA 20). Included here are the relatively smooth var. pinguifolia Burgess (with several colls. from Ky.) and the relatively hairy var. velutina Burgess (as in the coll. from NELS), as named within Aster. All of these plants generally have glandular inflorescences with bluish flowers, but leaves differ greatly in their shape, glandularity and pubescence.