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Big Horn fleabane

Habit Perennials, 10–18 cm; taprooted, caudices multicipital or branched.
Stems

erect to ascending (branched, brittle), hispido-hirsute (hairs brittle), minutely glandular.

Leaves

basal (often not persistent) and cauline;

blades spatulate 15–30 × 1.5–4 mm, cauline gradually reduced distally (reduced to bracts on peduncles), margins usually 3-lobed (lobes linear to oblong-oblanceolate, about as wide as central portion of blades), sometimes 2-ternate or (cauline) entire, faces sparsely hispido-hirsute, minutely glandular.

Involucres

4–5 × 6–9 mm.

Ray florets

20–40;

corollas white to bluish, sometimes drying pink, 3–6 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing.

Disc corollas

2.5–3.5 mm.

Phyllaries

in 2–3 series, glabrous or sometimes sparsely hispid, densely minutely glandular.

Heads

usually 2–4.

Cypselae

2–2.3 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 12–20 bristles.

Erigeron allocotus

Phenology Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Dry, calcareous sites on cliff faces, ledges, talus slopes, ridgetops, rock outcrops, barren redbeds, sometimes with Utah juniper, mountain mahogany, or sagebrush
Elevation 1300–2300 m (4300–7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
MT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The brittle, hispid vestiture, and multiple small heads (more than one per stem) with short rays of Erigeron allocotus are unusual among its putative relatives with 3-parted leaves.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 299.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron
Sibling taxa
E. abajoensis, E. acomanus, E. acris, E. aequifolius, E. algidus, E. aliceae, 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
Name authority S. F. Blake: J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 27: 379. (1937)
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