Herbs perennial, 14-45 cm tall, ± caespitose; rhizomes robust; new rosettes sometimes present. Stems often with marcescent leaf remains, erect, branched upward or simple, villous-strigose, with sessile glands, loosely leafy above. Leaves ± thick, strigose, with dense sessile glands, triplinerved, midvein abaxially prominent; basal leaves rosulate and lower cauline leaves present at anthesis, winged petiolate, petiole base clasping; blade spatulate or oblanceolate, 3-9 × 0.5-1.5 cm, base attenuate, margin entire, scabrous, apex rounded or obtuse; middle leaves sessile, oblong to oblanceolate; upper leaves ± linear-oblanceolate, small. Capitula solitary at ends of 2-4 branches, 3.5-5(-6) cm in diam. Involucres hemispheric, 0.8-1 × 1-1.5 cm; phyllaries 3-seriate, unequal; outer phyllaries spatulate, 4-7 × 1.5-2.5 mm, abaxially densely strigillose, with sessile glands, base hardened, distally leaflike, margin ciliate, apex rounded; inner phyllaries oblong to linear-oblong, ca. 10 × 2 mm, densely strigillose distally, ± membranous, margin scarious, erose-fimbriate, ciliate, apex acute or acuminate, purplish. Ray florets 30, bluish, tube 2.5-2.8 mm, sparsely hairy distally, lamina 15-18 × 2-2.5 mm; disk florets ca. 5.8 mm, tube ca. 2.2 mm, hairy distally onto limb base, limb funnelform, lobes lanceolate, ca. 1.3 mm, equal, tip revolute, with sessile glands. Achenes pale brown, obovoid, compressed, ca. 3 mm, strigillose, glandular apically, 2-ribbed. Pappus whitish, 3-seriate, bristles barbellate throughout; outermost bristles few, ca. 0.4 mm; inner bristles ca. 5 mm, acute; innermost bristles ca. 6.2 mm, clavate. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.

Aster heterolepis is closely related to A. oreophilus; it differs mainly in habit, the larger capitula, and phyllary shape.

● Stony slopes; 1500-2500 m. S Gansu.