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bitter fleabane, blue fleabane, fleabane

Denali fleabane

Habit Perennials, 1–5 cm; taprooted, caudices diffuse with extensive systems of rhizomelike, relatively long and slender branches.
Stems

erect (simple, ± scapiform), villous, granular-glandular.

Leaves

basal (persistent) and cauline;

blades spatulate to oblanceolate-spatulate, 10–20 × 2–4(–5) mm, mid larger than basal and proximal, margins entire or shallowly (2–)3-lobed or -toothed apically (apices obtuse to nearly truncate), faces moderately villous, minutely glandular.

Involucres

(4–)5–7 × 9–12 mm.

Ray florets

30–55;

corollas white to lavender, 4–8 mm, laminae (filiform to narrowly straplike, 0.3–2 mm wide, often involute) erect, rarely spreading, not coiling or reflexing.

Disc florets

3.8–4.8 mm.

Phyllaries

in 2(–3) series, densely lanate-villous (hairs to 3 mm, often with dark purple cross walls), glandular.

Heads

1.

Cypselae

3–3.8 mm, 2-nerved, faces strigillose to strigoso-hirsute;

pappi: outer 0 (or inconspicuous), inner of 20–25 (usually ± purple-red tinged, sometimes whitish, variable within populations) bristles.

Erigeron acris

Erigeron denalii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Open alpine and subalpine habitats, tundra slopes, openings in spruce-fir woods, gravelly and shaley scree, cut banks
Elevation 900–2200 m (3000–7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; ID; ME; MI; MN; MT; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; Circumboreal
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; NT; YT; BC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (or more?) (1 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Erigeron denalii and E. purpuratus are similar and probably closely related; the two appear to be partially sympatric; differences in vestiture and leaf morphology are constant. The habitat of E. purpuratus, sandy or gravelly alluvium, also is remarkably constant and distinct from that of E. denalii. Apparently correlated with the habitat, plants of E. purpuratus almost always develop a relatively long and slender, woody taproot; taproots of E. denalii apparently are less well defined and often are not collected.

Plants of the type collection of Erigeron mexiae have ray corollas with relatively broad laminae (1.5–2 mm wide); ray corolla width is variable in E. denalii, and E. mexiae is regarded here as an extreme variant within the species. In other characters, there appears to be no difference.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 321. FNA vol. 20, p. 303.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron
Sibling taxa
E. abajoensis, E. acomanus, E. aequifolius, E. algidus, E. aliceae, E. allocotus, E. alpiniformis, E. anchana, E. annuus, E. aphanactis, E. arenarioides, E. argentatus, E. arisolius, E. arizonicus, E. asperugineus, E. aureus, E. barbellulatus, E. basalticus, E. bellidiastrum, E. bigelovii, E. biolettii, E. blochmaniae, E. bloomeri, E. breweri, E. caespitosus, E. calvus, E. canaani, E. canus, E. cascadensis, E. cavernensis, E. cervinus, E. chrysopsidis, E. clokeyi, E. compactus, E. compositus, E. concinnus, E. consimilis, E. corymbosus, E. coulteri, E. cronquistii, E. davisii, E. decumbens, E. denalii, E. disparipilus, E. divergens, E. eatonii, E. elatior, E. elatus, E. elegantulus, E. elmeri, E. engelmannii, E. evermannii, E. eximius, E. filifolius, E. flabellifolius, E. flagellaris, E. flettii, E. foliosus, E. formosissimus, E. garrettii, E. geiseri, E. glabellus, E. glacialis, E. glaucus, E. goodrichii, E. gracilis, E. grandiflorus, E. greenei, E. heliographis, E. hessii, E. howellii, E. humilis, E. hyperboreus, E. hyssopifolius, E. inornatus, E. jonesii, E. kachinensis, E. karvinskianus, E. klamathensis, E. kuschei, E. lackschewitzii, E. lanatus, E. lassenianus, E. latus, E. leibergii, E. leiomerus, E. lemmonii, E. linearis, E. lobatus, E. lonchophyllus, E. maguirei, E. mancus, E. maniopotamicus, E. mariposanus, E. melanocephalus, E. miser, E. modestus, E. muirii, E. multiceps, E. nanus, E. nauseosus, E. nematophyllus, E. neomexicanus, E. nivalis, E. ochroleucus, E. oreganus, E. oreophilus, E. ovinus, E. oxyphyllus, E. pallens, E. parishii, E. parryi, E. peregrinus, E. petrophilus, E. philadelphicus, E. pinnatisectus, E. piperianus, E. piscaticus, E. poliospermus, E. porsildii, E. pringlei, E. procumbens, E. pulchellus, E. pulcherrimus, E. pumilus, E. purpuratus, E. pygmaeus, E. quercifolius, E. radicatus, E. reductus, E. religiosus, E. rhizomatus, E. robustior, E. rybius, E. rydbergii, E. salishii, E. salmonensis, E. sanctarum, E. saxatilis, E. sceptrifer, E. scopulinus, E. serpentinus, E. sionis, E. sivinskii, E. sparsifolius, E. speciosus, E. strigosus, E. subglaber, E. subtrinervis, E. supplex, E. tenellus, E. tener, E. tenuis, E. tracyi, E. trifidus, E. tweedyi, E. uintahensis, E. uncialis, E. uniflorus, E. untermannii, E. ursinus, E. utahensis, E. vagus, E. velutipes, E. vernus, E. versicolor, E. vetensis, E. vicinus, E. vreelandii, E. watsonii, E. wilkenii, E. yukonensis
E. abajoensis, E. acomanus, E. acris, E. aequifolius, E. algidus, E. aliceae, E. allocotus, E. alpiniformis, E. anchana, E. annuus, E. aphanactis, E. arenarioides, E. argentatus, E. arisolius, E. arizonicus, E. asperugineus, E. aureus, E. barbellulatus, E. basalticus, E. bellidiastrum, E. bigelovii, E. biolettii, E. blochmaniae, E. bloomeri, E. breweri, E. caespitosus, E. calvus, E. canaani, E. canus, E. cascadensis, E. cavernensis, E. cervinus, E. chrysopsidis, E. clokeyi, E. compactus, E. compositus, E. concinnus, E. consimilis, E. corymbosus, E. coulteri, E. cronquistii, E. davisii, E. decumbens, E. disparipilus, E. divergens, E. eatonii, E. elatior, E. elatus, E. elegantulus, E. elmeri, E. engelmannii, E. evermannii, E. eximius, E. filifolius, E. flabellifolius, E. flagellaris, E. flettii, E. foliosus, E. formosissimus, E. garrettii, E. geiseri, E. glabellus, E. glacialis, E. glaucus, E. goodrichii, E. gracilis, E. grandiflorus, E. greenei, E. heliographis, E. hessii, E. howellii, E. humilis, E. hyperboreus, E. hyssopifolius, E. inornatus, E. jonesii, E. kachinensis, E. karvinskianus, E. klamathensis, E. kuschei, E. lackschewitzii, E. lanatus, E. lassenianus, E. latus, E. leibergii, E. leiomerus, E. lemmonii, E. linearis, E. lobatus, E. lonchophyllus, E. maguirei, E. mancus, E. maniopotamicus, E. mariposanus, E. melanocephalus, E. miser, E. modestus, E. muirii, E. multiceps, E. nanus, E. nauseosus, E. nematophyllus, E. neomexicanus, E. nivalis, E. ochroleucus, E. oreganus, E. oreophilus, E. ovinus, E. oxyphyllus, E. pallens, E. parishii, E. parryi, E. peregrinus, E. petrophilus, E. philadelphicus, E. pinnatisectus, E. piperianus, E. piscaticus, E. poliospermus, E. porsildii, E. pringlei, E. procumbens, E. pulchellus, E. pulcherrimus, E. pumilus, E. purpuratus, E. pygmaeus, E. quercifolius, E. radicatus, E. reductus, E. religiosus, E. rhizomatus, E. robustior, E. rybius, E. rydbergii, E. salishii, E. salmonensis, E. sanctarum, E. saxatilis, E. sceptrifer, E. scopulinus, E. serpentinus, E. sionis, E. sivinskii, E. sparsifolius, E. speciosus, E. strigosus, E. subglaber, E. subtrinervis, E. supplex, E. tenellus, E. tener, E. tenuis, E. tracyi, E. trifidus, E. tweedyi, E. uintahensis, E. uncialis, E. uniflorus, E. untermannii, E. ursinus, E. utahensis, E. vagus, E. velutipes, E. vernus, E. versicolor, E. vetensis, E. vicinus, E. vreelandii, E. watsonii, E. wilkenii, E. yukonensis
Subordinate taxa
E. acris var. kamtschaticus
Synonyms Trimorpha acris E. mexiae, E. purpuratus var. dilatatus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 863. (1753) A. Nelson: Amer. J. Bot. 32: 289. (1945)
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