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Brewer's daisy, Brewer's fleabane

sand fleabane, western daisy fleabane, western fleabane

Habit Perennials, 7–75 cm; taprooted (taproots usually not collected, often weakly developed), roots and caudices woody, branches rhizomelike (3–15 cm; fibrous-rooted), relatively slender, leafless, ascending. Annuals (or biennials?), 3.5–30(–50) cm; taprooted.
Stems

usually ascending, sometimes prostrate to procumbent or decumbent (var. jacinteus) (often purple, distal branches stiff, spreading-ascending), hispid (hairs spreading-deflexed, 0.1–0.4 mm), mostly eglandular.

erect to ascending, hirsutulous (hairs upcurved), usually eglandular, sometimes minutely glandular (var. arenarius).

Leaves

cauline; (ascending) blades narrowly oblong-lanceolate to narrowly obovate, 10–40 × 2–5 mm, margins entire, relatively evenly spaced and sized, hispid, mostly eglandular.

basal (sometimes persistent) and cauline or mostly cauline;

blades linear to oblanceolate or spatulate, 10–60(–80) × 2–6(–9, or 15) mm, margins entire, lobed, or pinnately dissected, faces sparsely strigose, eglandular.

Involucres

mostly 4–6 × 9–14 mm.

3–5 × 5–7(–11) mm.

Ray florets

20–62;

corollas white or pink, often drying blue, 4–7 mm, laminae weakly coiling.

22–70 (some positioned among inner phyllaries);

corollas white, often with abaxial lilac midstripe, drying white to bluish, 4–7.5 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing.

Disc corollas

3.5–5.5 mm (throats slightly indurate, not inflated).

2.2–3 mm (throats indurate and inflated).

Phyllaries

in 3–5 series (all but outermost with stramineous margins and distal, greenish-herbaceous, narrowly rhomboid areas), strigoso- to hispido-hirsute or essentially glabrous, densely minutely glandular.

in 2–3(–4) series, hispidulous, minutely glandular.

Heads

1 or 2–5(–10) in loosely corymbiform arrays.

1–12 usually in diffuse arrays (from branches beyond midstems or sometimes clustered distally).

Cypselae

2–3 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of (15–)20–35(–50) bristles.

1–1.6(–1.8) mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer cartilaginous crowns, inner of 15–18 bristles.

Erigeron breweri

Erigeron bellidiastrum

Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; KS; MT; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; UT; WY; n Mexico
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).

Erigeron breweri is treated as a member of E. sect. Linearifolii in G. L. Nesom (1992b), where all of the varieties are mapped in detail.

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Erigeron bellidiastrum is recognized by its annual duration, upcurved hairs of the stem, relatively few rays, 1-seriate pappi, and by some ray florets consistently produced between the phyllaries, the mature cypselae of these held in place as the phyllaries reflex at maturity.

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

Key
1. Phyllaries glabrous or sparsely hairy, densely glandular
→ 2
1. Phyllaries strigoso- to hispido-hirsute, sometimes slightly glandular
→ 3
2. Plants usually 12–40 or 30–60 cm; stems ascending-erect; leaves usually 15–35 mm
var. breweri
2. Plants 7–15 cm; stems prostrate to procumbent or decumbent; leaves 5–12 mm
var. jacinteus
3. Plants 20–30 cm; stems often wiry and brittle; phyllaries hispido-hirsute (hairs translucent, spreading, stiff, relatively thick-based), glandular
var. porphyreticus
3. Plants (30–)40–75 cm; stems not wiry or brittle; phyllaries strigoso- or hispido-hirsute (hairs ascending to ascending-appressed, white), eglandular
→ 4
4. Phyllaries strigoso-hirsute (hairs relatively thin-based, ascending-appressed, gradually and slightly reduced in density from outer to inner phyllaries), eglandular
var. bisanctus
4. Phyllaries hispido-hirsute (hairs relatively thick-based, ascending, dense on outermost phyllaries, much less so on mid and inner), eglandular
var. covillei
1. Basal and proximal cauline leaf margins deeply dentate to pinnately lobed
var. arenarius
1. Basal and proximal cauline leaf margins entire or rarely with pair of shallow teeth
→ 2
2. Proximal stems mostly 1–2(–2.5) mm wide; basal and proximal cauline leaf blades linear to linear-oblanceolate, 10–15(–30) × 1–2.5(–3) mm
var. bellidiastrum
2. Proximal stems mostly (2–)2.5–5 mm wide; basal and proximal cauline leaf blades oblanceolate, 20–40(–60) × 3–5(–15) mm
var. robustus
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 316. FNA vol. 20, p. 338.
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. basalticus, E. bellidiastrum, E. bigelovii, E. biolettii, E. blochmaniae, E. bloomeri, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
E. breweri var. bisanctus, E. breweri var. breweri, E. breweri var. covillei, E. breweri var. jacinteus, E. breweri var. porphyreticus
E. bellidiastrum var. arenarius, E. bellidiastrum var. bellidiastrum, E. bellidiastrum var. robustus
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 541. (1866) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 307. (1840)
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