Erigeron caespitosus |
Erigeron ochroleucus |
|
---|---|---|
tuft daisy, tuft fleabane |
buff daisy, buff fleabane |
|
Habit | Perennials, 5–25(–30) cm; taprooted, caudices relatively thick, usually branched. | Perennials, (2–)8–18(–20, 30) cm; taprooted, caudices usually simple, rarely branched, relatively thick, woody. |
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. |
ascending (greenish), loosely strigose to puberulent-strigose, sometimes sparsely minutely glandular. |
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. |
basal (persistent) and cauline (leaf bases broadened or not, not thickened and whitish-indurate); basal blades linear to linear-oblanceolate, (20–)40–90(–120) × 1–4(–5) mm; cauline reduced distally or often little reduced on at least proximal 1/2 of stems, (bases gradually tapering) margins entire (apices acute), abaxial faces glabrous at least on distal 1/4–1/2, strigose proximally, adaxial loosely strigose, eglandular. |
Involucres | 4–7 × 9–18 mm. |
5.5–7 × 10–15(–18) mm. |
Ray florets | 30–100; corollas white to bluish, 5–15 mm, laminae coiling. |
30–62; corollas white to pinkish, bluish, or lavender, (7–)8–12 mm, laminae coiling. |
Disc corollas | 3–4.4 mm. |
2.8–3.6 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 3–4 series, densely hirsuto-canescent to hirtellous (hairs spreading), moderately minutely glandular. |
in 3–4 series, densely and loosely hirsuto-villous (hairs whitish, without colored cross walls), minutely glandular. |
Heads | 1–4 (branches from distal 1/2 of stem). |
1(–3). |
Cypselae | 1.7–2.2 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of setae or scales, inner of 15–25 bristles. |
2–2.6 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely villosulous (often hairs spreading); pappi: outer of setae or scales, inner of 12–15 bristles. |
2n | = 18, 36. |
|
Erigeron caespitosus |
Erigeron ochroleucus |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug. | Flowering Jun–Aug. |
Habitat | Rocky or sandy, grassy hills, sagebrush-aspen, pinyon-juniper, to spruce and tundra northward | Rocky or sandy slopes, limestone outcrops, ridges, and talus, meadows, sagebrush-grassland, juniper-mountain mahogany, ponderosa pine, limber pine, limber pine–Douglas fir, alpine tundra |
Elevation | 1300–3000(–3600) m (4300–9800(–11800) ft) | 1100–3000(–3300) m (3600–9800(–10800) ft) |
Distribution |
AK; AZ; CO; ID; MT; ND; NE; NM; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK; YT
|
AK; MT; NE; SD; WY; AB; BC
|
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.) |
Plants recognized as var. scribneri are smaller but otherwise essentially similar to typical plants, except for a tendency to produce bluish rays. They occur mostly at higher elevations than more typical plants. P. Lesica (2005) maintained var. scribneri and mapped the two varietites as essentially congruent in geographic range. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 283. | FNA vol. 20, p. 294. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. laetevirens, E. montanus, E. ochroleucus var. scribneri, E. scribneri, E. tweedyanus | |
Name authority | Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 307. (1840) | Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 311. (1840) |
Web links |