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diffuse daisy, spreading fleabane

short-rayed fleabane, spear-leaved fleabane

Habit Plants annual or short-lived perennial, 12–50+ cm; taprooted, with short, branching caudices. Plants biennial or short-lived perennial, 4–33 cm; usually fibrous-rooted, caudices simple.
Stems

erect, ascending to decumbent, densely pilose to sparsely hirsute, minutely glandular at least distally.

erect, sparsely to densely hirsute, eglandular or occasionally with densely minute glands.

Basal leaves

persistent or withering by flowering, spatulate, 20–80 × 5–10 mm;

margins entire or with 1–2 coarse teeth;

surfaces moderately to densely strigose, usually eglandular.

persistent, oblanceolate to spatulate, 10–100 × 4–10 mm;

margins entire, often with spreading cilia;

surfaces glabrous to moderately hirsute or strigose.

Cauline leaves

numerous and well developed, elliptic, obovate, or linear, 5–30 × 1–4 mm, usually slightly reduced distally;

surfaces densely strigose to villous.

narrowly elliptic, oblong, oblanceolate to linear, 10–100 × 1–5 mm, reduced distally, bases often clasping;

surfaces glabrous to moderately hirsute or strigose.

Involucres

2–4 × 6–10 mm.

4–7 × 5–11 mm.

Ray florets

75–150, light purple to lavender;

rays 2–5 × 0.25–0.6 mm.

40–100, white to pink;

rays 2–5 × 0.2–0.4 mm.

Disc florets

corollas 2–3 mm.

corollas 3–5 mm.

Phyllaries

in 2–3 series, usually with dark green or brown medial area and lighter colored stripe;

surfaces moderately to densely hirsute or strigose, moderately to densely glandular.

in 2–3 series;

surfaces sparsely to densely hirsute, glandular or eglandular.

Fruits

0.75–1 mm, glabrous to very sparsely strigose;

inner pappi of numerous barbellate bristles.

1.5–2.5 mm, sparsely to moderately strigose;

inner pappi of numerous barbellate bristles.

Heads

1–20+ in corymb-like arrays, radiate.

1–10 in raceme-like arrays, radiate.

2n

=18, 27, 36.

=18.

Erigeron divergens

Erigeron lonchophyllus

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Dry open areas, roadsides, streambanks. Flowering May–Sep. 50–2200 m. BR, BW, Casc, Col, ECas, Est, Lava. CA, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to Alberta, east to SD, southeast to TX, south to Mexico. Native.

Floodplains, lakesides, gravel bars, roadsides, marshes, seeps. Flowering Jun–Aug. 800–2300 m. BR, BW, Casc, ECas, Lava, Owy. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to AK, northeast to Nunavut, east to Quebec, southeast to NM. Native.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 255
James Riser, Stephen Meyers
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 258
James Riser, Stephen Meyers
Sibling taxa
E. acris, E. aliceae, E. annuus, E. aphanactis, E. aureus, E. bloomeri, E. cascadensis, E. cervinus, E. chrysopsidis, E. compositus, E. corymbosus, E. coulteri, E. decumbens, E. disparipilus, E. eatonii, E. elegantulus, E. filifolius, E. foliosus, E. glacialis, E. glaucus, E. howellii, E. inornatus, E. karvinskianus, E. klamathensis, E. latus, E. linearis, E. lonchophyllus, E. nivalis, E. oreganus, E. peregrinus, E. petrophilus, E. philadelphicus, E. poliospermus, E. pumilus, E. simplex, E. speciosus, E. stanselliae, E. strigosus, E. tener, E. vagus
E. acris, E. aliceae, E. annuus, E. aphanactis, E. aureus, E. bloomeri, E. cascadensis, E. cervinus, E. chrysopsidis, E. compositus, E. corymbosus, E. coulteri, E. decumbens, E. disparipilus, E. divergens, E. eatonii, E. elegantulus, E. filifolius, E. foliosus, E. glacialis, E. glaucus, E. howellii, E. inornatus, E. karvinskianus, E. klamathensis, E. latus, E. linearis, E. nivalis, E. oreganus, E. peregrinus, E. petrophilus, E. philadelphicus, E. poliospermus, E. pumilus, E. simplex, E. speciosus, E. stanselliae, E. strigosus, E. tener, E. vagus
Synonyms Erigeron divergens var. divergens Trimorpha lonchophylla
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