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Erigeron oreganus

Gorge daisy, gorge fleabane, Oregon fleabane

Willamette fleabane, Willamette Valley daisy

Habit Plants perennial, 5–15 cm; taprooted, caudices unbranched. Plants perennial, 15–55 cm; taprooted, with upright, branching caudices.
Stems

decumbent to erect; hirsute with unequal hairs, sparsely glandular.

few to many; erect or decumbent, remotely to moderately strigillose, eglandular.

Basal leaves

persistent, obovate, 15–90 × 5–20 mm;

margins coarsely serrate to shallowly lobulate;

surfaces sparsely to moderately hirsute to strigose.

usually withering by flowering, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 30–120 × 3–5 mm;

margins entire;

surfaces sparsely strigillose to minutely strigose, eglandular.

Cauline leaves

obovate to elliptic; little or not reduced distally;

surfaces sparsely to moderately hirsute.

linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 10–100 × 1–3 mm, gradually reduced distally;

margins entire, usually 3-veined;

surfaces lightly to moderately strigose.

Involucres

4–7 × 9–15 mm.

3–5 × 7–15 mm.

Ray florets

30–60, pink to purple;

rays 4–5 × 0.5–1 mm.

25–50, white to lavender;

rays 5–8(12) × 1–2 mm.

Disc florets

corollas 3–5 mm.

corollas 3–4 mm.

Phyllaries

in 2–3 series, pale green with dark green medial stripe;

surfaces remotely hirsute, strongly stipitate-glandular.

in 2–3 series, usually with dark medial area, moderately to densely hirsute or strigose, eglandular.

Fruits

2–3 mm, moderately strigose;

inner pappi of several unbarbed to weakly barbellate twisted bristles.

1–2 mm, sparsely to moderately strigose;

inner pappi of numerous barbellate bristles.

Heads

1–4, radiate.

1–5 in corymb-like arrays, radiate.

Erigeron oreganus

Erigeron decumbens

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

Shady cliffs, rocky slopes, crevices. Flowering May–Aug. 100–400 m. Casc. WA. Native.

This uncommon species is found only in the Columbia River Gorge.

Prairies. Flowering May–Jul. 50–300 m. WV. Native. Endemic to Oregon.

Erigeron decumbens is federally listed as an endangered species. It is an Oregon endemic known only from scattered prairie remnants in the Willamette Valley where it inhabits seasonally flooded bottomland prairies as well as well-drained upland prairies. It has likely been extirpated from parts of its former range in Clackamas, Washington, and Yamhill counties.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 259
James Riser, Stephen Meyers
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 255
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. 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. lonchophyllus, E. nivalis, 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. 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. 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
Synonyms Erigeron decumbens ssp. decumbens, Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens
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