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basalt fleabane

cliff fleabane, rock-loving fleabane, rockloving erigeron

Habit Perennials, 7–25 cm; taprooted, caudices branched. Perennials, 10–20(–30) cm; taprooted, caudices woody, branches rhizomelike.
Stems

sprawling or pendent (branched), hirsute, minutely glandular.

usually decumbent-ascending, sometimes nearly erect, sparsely to densely white-villous (hairs loose, thin, often crinkly) or sparsely hispido-pilose (hairs usually stiff, spreading, sometimes antrorsely ascending or appressed; var. viscidulus), usually densely minutely glandular at least distally, sometimes eglandular or obscurely glandular (var. viscidulus).

Leaves

cauline;

blades cuneate to obovate, 150–400 × 10–20 mm, nearly even-sized to near heads, margins 3-lobed or -dentate (lobes sometimes with shallow secondary lobes or teeth, much narrower than central portion of blades, usually acute), faces hirsute, minutely glandular.

cauline;

blades narrowly oblong to oblanceolate, 10–25 × 1–5 mm, usually even-sized, margins entire, ciliate, faces sparsely to densely villous to hirsuto-villous, usually densely minutely glandular, sometimes eglandular or obscurely glandular (var. viscidulus).

Involucres

5–6 × 8–12 mm.

5.5–7(–8) × 8–12 mm.

Ray florets

22–30;

corollas white, drying pink to pinkish purple, 5–7 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing.

Ray (pistillate) florets

0.

Disc corollas

3–4 mm.

4–6 mm (throats slightly indurate, not inflated).

Phyllaries

in 2–3 series, usually densely villoso-hirsute, densely minutely glandular.

in 3–5 series (sometimes purplish apically), usually glabrous, sometimes with spreading hairs, densely glandular.

Heads

1–4 (from medial or distal branches).

(discoid) (1–)2–5(–10) in corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

ca. 1.5 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 10–15 bristles.

(2–)2.5–3 mm, 2-nerved, glabrous;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 22–30(–35) bristles.

Erigeron basalticus

Erigeron petrophilus

Phenology Flowering May–Jun(–Oct).
Habitat Dry, vertical, basalt cliffs of Yakima River and tributaries
Elevation 300–500 m (1000–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Erigeron basalticus is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Stems and leaves eglandular or obscurely glandular; nonglandular hairs mostly stiff, straight or curved
var. viscidulus
1. Stems and leaves densely glandular; nonglandular hairs usually loose, often crinkly
→ 2
2. Phyllaries with distinctly expanded, purplish area at apices
var. petrophilus
2. Phyllaries with apices not purplish and differently colored from proximal portion
var. sierrensis
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 302. FNA vol. 20, p. 315.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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. 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. petrophilus var. petrophilus, E. petrophilus var. sierrensis, E. petrophilus var. viscidulus
Name authority Hoover: Leafl. W. Bot. 4: 40. (1944) Greene: Pittonia 1: 218. (1888)
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