Stiff-leafed Aster ?

Stiff-leafed Aster ?
Stiff-leafed Aster. Ionactis linariifolius.
Asteraceae, the daisy, sunflower, or composite family.

Description:
Plant: Erect, plant, 4"-20" high, with hairy stems, fringed leaves, and loose clusters of small, violet to light blue, daisy-like flower heads. Perennial.
Flowers: Small, light blue to violet flower heads, about 1/2", generally with 10-20 rays, and yellow centers darkening to pink, in open panicles.
Leaves: Alternate, narrowly lanceolate to linear, 1/2" - 3/2", margins smooth but fringed with short hairs, surfaces rough, but not hairy, sessile, and tapering smoothly to a point. Leaves on flower stalks and short axillary sprouts are often very small.
Fruit: A head of silky-haired achenes
Blooming: August-October
Habitat: Fields, sandy waste areas, clearings.

Comments: Best guess for identity of this plant. The species is also known as Flaxleaf Whitetop Aster, Stiff-leafed Aster is sometimes used as a general name for the genus. The fringed leaves have a distinctive appearance typical of the genus. The plants and flowers are smaller than some other common blue asters.

Where to find it: I have seen a single, small specimen on the south shore of the pond. Probably there are more, but the plant is not very conspicuous mixed in with all the other asters.