Conspicuus: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora (BF)  and Flora of Alberta (FOA) leading to this species. 

	plants perennial, with rootstocks or root crowns; NOT [plants annual, with fibrous roots]
	lower leaves sessile, somewhat clasping; NOT [lower leaves petioled]
	lower leaves coarsely toothed to subentire; NOT [lower leaves serrate] (BF)
	leaves coarsely serrate; NOT [leaves distantly serrulate or sometimes entire] (FOA)
	leaves mostly 3-5 cm wide (sometimes to 10 cm); NOT [leaves mostly 1-2 cm wide or smaller]
	leaves to 20 cm long; NOT [smaller]
	involucre and usually the peduncles glandular
	involucral bracts generally herbaceous, at least above; NOT [involucral bracts chartaceous]
	involucral bracts usually NOT keeled
	rays conspicuous; NOT [rays inconspicuous or absent]
	rays mostly more than 15; NOT [rays 8-15]
	pappus single; NOT [pappus double, the inner series of long bristles, the outer of bristles about 1 mm long]

Aster: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora (BF) and Flora of Alberta (FOA) leading to this genus.

	NOT [basal leaves mostly 1-6 cm long, linear to oblanceolate or spatulate, forming a dense rosette; plants with a well-developed taproot; and either densely caespitose, seldom more than 5 cm tall, the heads sessile among the leaves, or with stout, simple stems, 5-15 (25) cm tall, heads solitary, involucres 2-4 cm wide, bracts ciliate to pectinate or fimbriate, rays blue and achenes densely pubescent, obovate to triangular]
	taproot absent
	juice watery; NOT [juice milky]
	leaves appearing before the flowers; NOT [leaves appearing after the flowers]
	plants usually with leafy stems; NOT [plants low, stemless, tufted]
	leaves NOT extending beyond the flowers
	leaves alternate or basal; NOT [leaves opposite]
	basal leaves NOT cordate, NOT sagittate
	involucral bracts either subequal and the outer leafy or more commonly evidently imbricate, with chartaceous base and evident green tip, sometimes chartaceous throughout; NOT [involucral bracts subequal or more or less imbricate, often green in part, but neither definitely leaf nor with chartaceous base and herbaceous green tip] (FOA)
	bracts in several series; NOT [bracts in 1 or 2 series] (BF)
	receptacle naked
	flower heads with florets both tubular and ray
	ray florets conspicuous
	ray florets 10-50; NOT [ray florets 50 or more]
	ray florets violet to blue; NOT [ray florets yellow or orange]
	ligulate flowers pistillate or neuter; NOT [ligulate flowers perfect]
	pappus composed of numerous hairs; NOT [pappus absent or composed of a few hairs], NOT [pappus of 1 or 2 short awns, a mere crown, or none]
	stamens united to form a tube around the pistil
	style branches ordinarily more than 0.5 mm long; NOT [style branches 0.5 mm long or less, or obsolete]
	style branches lanceolate or narrower; NOT [style branches lanceolate or broader]
	style branches acute or acuminate; NOT [style branches acute to obtuse]