Erigeron neomexicanus |
Erigeron filifolius |
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New Mexico fleabane |
Peck's threadleaf fleabane, thread-leaf daisy, thread-leaf fleabane |
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Habit | Perennials, 20–70 cm; taprooted, caudices woody. | Perennials, 10–30(–50) cm; taprooted, caudices multicipital, often with relatively short and thin, stemlike, lignescent branches. |
Stems | erect, moderately to densely strigose (hairs appressed to ascending, 0.1–0.8(–2) mm, sometimes spreading at bases or throughout), eglandular or glands minute, non-capitate. |
erect, sparsely to densely strigose (hairs loosely appressed to ascending, fine), densely white-strigose at least proximally, eglandular. |
Leaves | basal (sometimes persistent) and cauline; blades oblanceolate, margins usually deeply pinnatifid (lobes in 2–5 pairs), sometimes dentate to entire, faces strigose, eglandular; basal 10–60 × 6–35 mm, cauline gradually reduced distally. |
basal (usually persistent, not clustered as rosettes) and cauline; basal blades linear to filiform, 10–80 × 0.5–2.5(–3.5) mm; cauline gradually or little reduced distally, margins entire, faces sparsely to moderately strigose, eglandular. |
Involucres | 3.5–5 × 7–12 mm. |
4–7 × 5–-18 mm. |
Ray florets | 70–150; corollas white, drying white, (2–)6–15 mm, laminae reflexing. |
(15–)20–125; corollas usually blue, sometimes white, pink, or pale lavender, 3–13 mm, laminae coiling. |
Disc corollas | 2.5–3.3 mm (throats somewhat white-indurate, not inflated). |
2.5–5.5 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 3–4 series, strigose to hirsute (hairs arising mostly from midregion), usually minutely glandular, rarely eglandular. |
in (2–)3–4 series, loosely strigose to hirsute or nearly villous, densely to sparsely minutely glandular. |
Heads | (1–)5–15(–30) in loosely corymbiform arrays. |
1–5(–10+) from distal branches, tending to be in corymbiform arrays. |
Cypselae | 1–1.3 mm, 2(–4)–nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: (outer 0) inner (readily falling) of (8–)10–12 bristles. |
1.4–1.8(–2) mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose to glabrate; pappi: outer of setae, inner of 20–30 bristles. |
2n | = 18, 36. |
= 18. |
Erigeron neomexicanus |
Erigeron filifolius |
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Phenology | Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Oct(–Dec). | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Open, rocky sites, from grasslands into oak or pine woodlands, often with madrono, juniper, or fir | Dry, rocky or sandy soil, lava beds, bitterbrush, sagebrush, juniper, ponderosa pine |
Elevation | (900–)1500–2700(–3000) m ((3000–)4900–8900(–9800) ft) | 400–2400 m (1300–7900 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
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CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC
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Discussion | Relatively large, pinnatifid leaves are typical of Erigeron neomexicanus; plants with nearly entire leaves can be identified by the strongly perennial habit, white, reflexing rays, and 10–12 readily falling pappus bristles. Erigeron neomexicanus and E. oreophilus were treated by A. Cronquist (1947) as varieties of one species, and their morphologic similarity and the closeness of their geographic ranges support that hypothesis. But relatively few collections are found that could be regarded as intermediates, and both forms sometimes grow in proximity, apparently without a range of intermediates. In some Arizona mountain ranges, apparently only one or the other taxon occurs. Still, the possibility exists that these are populational segregants of a single species (see further comments in G. L. Nesom 1989d). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The densely white-strigose stem bases, linear-filiform leaves relatively unreduced distally, and relatively few heads with coiling, usually blue rays are distinctive for Erigeron filifolius. Proximal leaves are not clustered as a basal rosette; they are inserted on closely spaced nodes that are slightly more separated distally. Plants identified as var. robustior (with more ray florets, fewer heads, and thicker stems, centered in Oregon and Washington) intergrade with the typical form and apparently are separated arbitrarily. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 277. | FNA vol. 20, p. 298. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. delphiniifolius var. euneomexicanus, E. delphiniifolius subsp. neomexicanus | Diplopappus filifolius, E. filifolius var. robustior |
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 2. (1883) | (Hooker) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 308. (1840) |
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