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tuft daisy, tuft fleabane

Brewer's daisy, Brewer's fleabane

Habit Perennials, 5–25(–30) cm; taprooted, caudices relatively thick, usually branched. 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.
Stems

decumbent-ascending (greenish proximally), usually densely hirsute to hirtellous (hairs spreading to deflexed, gradually attenuate, basal cells erect), sometimes strigose (in Saskatchewan and Yukon), eglandular.

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.

Leaves

basal (persistent) and cauline;

basal blades (1–)3-nerved, narrowly oblanceolate to spatulate, (10–)20–90(–120) × 2–15 mm, margins entire (apices rounded to obtuse), faces densely hirtellous, eglandular;

cauline blades oblong-ovate to linear, ± reduced distally.

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

Involucres

4–7 × 9–18 mm.

mostly 4–6 × 9–14 mm.

Ray florets

30–100;

corollas white to bluish, 5–15 mm, laminae coiling.

20–62;

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

Disc corollas

3–4.4 mm.

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

Phyllaries

in 3–4 series, densely hirsuto-canescent to hirtellous (hairs spreading), moderately minutely glandular.

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.

Heads

1–4 (branches from distal 1/2 of stem).

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

Cypselae

1.7–2.2 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae or scales, inner of 15–25 bristles.

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

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

2n

= 18, 36.

Erigeron caespitosus

Erigeron breweri

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Rocky or sandy, grassy hills, sagebrush-aspen, pinyon-juniper, to spruce and tundra northward
Elevation 1300–3000(–3600) m (4300–9800(–11800) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CO; ID; MT; ND; NE; NM; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Erigeron caespitosus as recognized here is highly variable and perhaps justifiably could be divided into more than one taxon. Plants at lower elevations tend to produce tall stems branching above the middle and long, white rays. At higher elevations, especially in Idaho, western Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, stems tend to be shorter and simple and the rays commonly are blue to violet. In the Bitterroot Mountains (Ravalli and Deerlodge counties, Montana), short-stemmed, blue-rayed plants also have strigose cauline vestiture (in contrast to typically deflexed-hirtellous stems); these vestiture variants occur in the same area with plants apparently similar in all other features. Strigose populational variants also occur in Saskatchewan and Yukon, and E. abajoensis, largely distinguished by strigose cauline vestiture, might be considered a regional variant of E. caespitosus. In eastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, plants of E. caespitosus are commonly encountered with cauline leaves obovate and distinctly subclasping. Plants with strongly 3-nerved basal leaves occur in Carbon and Gallatin counties, Montana.

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

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.)

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
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 283. FNA vol. 20, p. 316.
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. breweri, 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. 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
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 307. (1840) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 541. (1866)
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