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glacier fleabane, subalpine fleabane, wandering fleabane

bract Utah fleabane

Habit Perennials, 5–55(–70) cm; rhizomatous, fibrous-rooted, caudices usually simple, thick. Perennials, 10–55 cm; taprooted, caudices branched.
Stems

erect to ascending, hirsute or hirsuto-villous to densely strigillose (hairs loosely appressed, slightly crinkled), eglandular.

(greenish) erect, sparsely strigose, eglandular.

Leaves

basal (usually persistent) and cauline;

basal blades linear-oblanceolate to broadly lanceolate or spatulate, (20–)30–160(–200) × 7–45 mm;

cauline gradually reduced distally (bases distinctly subclasping, except when greatly reduced), margins entire, faces glabrous or glabrate, hirsute, or villous to sparsely villosulous, eglandular.

basal (usually withering by flowering, not forming conspicuous tufts) and cauline (leaf bases broadened or not, not thickened and whitish-indurate);

basal and proximalmost cauline blades oblanceolate-spatulate, 20–50 × 2–4 mm, margins entire, faces densely and closely strigose, eglandular;

cauline abruptly reduced to erect linear bracts 3–20 × 0.5 mm, relatively even-sized, at least beyond midstems to immediately proximal to heads.

Involucres

6–9(–12) × 10–22(–25) mm.

3–5 × 5–8 mm.

Ray florets

30–80;

corollas usually blue to rose purple or pink, sometimes white to pale blue, 8–16(–25) mm (mostly 1.5–3 mm wide), laminae coiling.

10–14(–20);

corollas white to blue, 4–8 mm, laminae (0.7–1 mm wide) coiling.

Disc corollas

3.8–6 mm.

2–3.5 mm (viscid-puberulent, hairs multicellular, blunt).

Phyllaries

in 2–3(–4) series (faces and margins) usually glabrous, rarely sparsely villous (cross walls not colored), densely and evenly stipitate-glandular.

in 2–3 series, sparsely strigose or glabrous, densely minutely glandular.

Heads

1(–8).

(1–)3–10, from branches well beyond midstems.

Cypselae

2.5–2.8 mm, (4–)5(–7)-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 20–30 bristles.

1.5–2.5 mm, 3–4-orange-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of inconspicuous setae, inner of 20–25 bristles.

Erigeron glacialis

Erigeron sparsifolius

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Rocky or sandy soil, soil pockets and crevices in sandstone, canyon bottoms, river terraces
Elevation 1100–1700 m (3600–5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; UT
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Erigeron sparsifolius is partially sympatric with Erigeron utahensis. They are distinct in morphology and phenology, and intermediates are not common.

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

Key
1. Peduncles densely strigillose with loosely appressed, slightly crinkled hairs; leaf faces glabrous or villous
var. glacialis
1. Peduncles hirsute to hirsuto-villous; leaf faces hirsute to hirsuto-villous
var. hirsutus
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 329. FNA vol. 20, p. 297.
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. formosissimus, E. garrettii, E. geiseri, E. glabellus, 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. 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. 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. glacialis var. glacialis, E. glacialis var. hirsutus
Synonyms Aster glacialis, E. salsuginosus var. glacialis E. utahensis var. sparsifolius, E. vivax
Name authority (Nuttall) A. Nelson: Bot. Gaz. 37: 270. (1904) Eastwood: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 2, 6: 297. (1896)
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