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beautiful fleabane

Jones' fleabane

Habit Perennials, 10–40(–55) cm; rhizomatous, fibrous-rooted, rhizomes variably thick. Perennials, 10–25(–40) cm; taprooted, caudices simple or branched, retaining old leaf bases.
Stems

ascending, densely hirsute to hirsutulous or glabrous, minutely glandular to stipitate-glandular.

(purplish proximally) decumbent-ascending, moderately hirsute (hairs deflexed), sometimes minutely glandular distally.

Leaves

basal (persistent) and cauline;

basal blades oblanceolate to oblanceolate-spatulate, 20–100(–150) × 4–10(–15) mm, margins entire, closely ciliate, faces glabrous or sparsely hirsute, sometimes sparsely glandular;

cauline blades becoming ovate to lanceolate, gradually reduced distally (bases clasping).

basal (persistent) and cauline;

basal (erect) blades (3-nerved) oblanceolate to spatulate or subelliptic, 20–80(–180) × 3–13 mm (bases attenuate), entire (apices rounded to obtuse), faces strigoso-hirsute to hirsutulous, eglandular;

cauline blades linear-oblong, gradually reduced distally.

Involucres

5–8 × 10–20 mm.

5–6(–7) × 9–11(–18) mm.

Ray florets

75–150;

corollas blue to purple, rarely pink to white, 8–15 mm (ca. 1 mm wide), laminae coiling at tips or not at all.

25–40(–52);

corollas white or blue, 4–8 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing.

Disc corollas

3.5–4.5 mm.

3–3.5(–4.8) mm.

Phyllaries

in 2–3 series (greenish), glabrous or hirsuto-villous, densely minutely glandular to stipitate-glandular (glands sometimes obscured by hairs in var. formosissimus).

in (2–)3–4 series, sparsely to moderately hirsute, minutely glandular.

Heads

1–6.

1–4 (from branches at midstem or distally).

Cypselae

(1.3–)1.6–1.9 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

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

2.2–2.5 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 15–20(–24) bristles.

Erigeron formosissimus

Erigeron jonesii

Phenology Flowering May–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Open rocky hills, meadows, sagebrush, mountain mahogany, pinyon-juniper, oak-maple, white fir, alpine meadows
Elevation (1500–)1800–3400 m ((4900–)5900–11200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; SD; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; NV; UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Variation in vestiture of Erigeron formosissimus is complex, ranging from stems and heads glabrous and densely stipitate-glandular to stems and heads densely hairy and essentially eglandular; intermediates are found over the range of the species. The taxonomic solution of recognizing broadly sympatric varieties within a single species is biologically untenable, and some have treated this as a single entity; the variation is greater than typically occurs within a single species of Erigeron (see comments following 3. E. neomexicanus, where the situation with E. oreophilus is similar).

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

Key
1. Involucres moderately to densely hirsute, minutely glandular; distal leaves hirsuto-villous, eglandular or sometimes sparsely glandular
var. formosissimus
1. Involucres glabrous or sparsely hirsuto-villous, densely minutely glandular; distal leaves usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely villoso-hirsute, minutely glandular
var. viscidus
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 334. FNA vol. 20, p. 282.
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. 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. 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. 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. formosissimus var. formosissimus, E. formosissimus var. viscidus
Synonyms E. wahwahensis
Name authority Greene: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 25: 121, plate 332, figs. 3, 4. (1898) Cronquist: Brittonia 6: 166. (1947)
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