The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

buff daisy, cushion daisy, cushion fleabane, hairy-seed daisy, hairy-seed fleabane, Kittitas fleabane, purple-cushion fleabane

cut-leaf daisy, cut-leaf fleabane, dwarf mountain fleabane, fern-leaf fleabane, trifid mountain fleabane, vergerette à feuilles segmentées

Habit Perennials, 3–15 cm; taprooted, caudices simple or with relatively short and thick branches. Perennials, 5–15(–25 cm); taprooted, caudices simple or branches usually relatively thick and short, rarely slender and rhizomelike, covered with persistent leaf bases.
Stems

erect, sometimes branched, hirsute (hairs unequal), ± minutely glandular.

erect (simple, ± scapiform), sparsely hispido-pilose, minutely glandular.

Leaves

mostly basal (persistent; petioles prominently ciliate, hairs spreading, thick-based);

blades narrowly oblanceolate to spatulate, (20–)30–80 × 2–4(–12) mm, cauline sometimes continuing distally to about midstem, margins entire, usually ciliate, sometimes coarsely so, faces sparsely to densely hirsute, sometimes minutely glandular.

mostly basal (persistent);

blades spatulate to obovate-spatulate, 5–50(–70) × (2–)4–12 mm, margins (1–)2–3(–4)-ternately lobed or dissected, cauline bractlike, mostly entire, faces densely hispiduloso-puberulent to glabrate, minutely glandular.

Involucres

5–9 × 9–20 mm.

5–10 × 8–20 mm.

Ray florets

15–45 or 0;

corollas usually pink to bluish purple, sometimes white, 5–14 mm, laminae coiling.

Ray (pistillate) florets

20–60;

corollas white to pink or blue, usually 6–12 mm, often reduced to tubes (heads disciform), laminae not coiling or reflexing.

Disc corollas

(3.5–)4–5.5 mm.

3–5 mm.

Phyllaries

in 2–3 series, sparsely to densely hirsuto-villous to hirsute, minutely glandular.

in 2–3 series (purple-tipped), hirsute (hairs spreading), minutely glandular.

Heads

1(–3) (from branches at or proximal to midstem).

(sometimes disciform) 1.

Cypselae

2.5–3 mm, 2-nerved, faces densely strigoso-sericeous (obscured);

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

1.6–2.7 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose-hirsute;

pappi: outer usually of setae, sometimes 0, inner of 12–20 bristles.

2n

= 18, 36, 45, 54.

Erigeron poliospermus

Erigeron compositus

Phenology Flowering (May–)Jun–Aug.
Habitat Sagebrush, rabbitbrush, aspen to aspen-fir, subalpine meadows, cliffs, talus, and boulders
Elevation (in e Canada, possibly Greenland and Arctic bridge gap, 10–200–)1800–4300 m ((in e Canada, possibly Greenland and Arctic bridge gap, 0–700–)5900–14100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; ND; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NF; NT; NU; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; e Asia (Russian Far East)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Correlations among ploidal level, breeding systems, and morphologic variation have been studied in detail in Erigeron compositus. Five informally designated population systems of diploids are geographically restricted (all of the northwestern United States and adjacent Canada) and primarily sexual, compared to the polyploids, which are agamospermous and apparently of hybrid origin, at least in some cases (R. D. Noyes et al. 1995; Noyes and D. E. Soltis 1996). Reduction in ray floret laminae usually is correlated with polyploidy. Plants with 1-ternately lobed leaves have been identified as var. glabratus, an element of variation that does not have a geographic pattern.

Among closely related species, Erigeron compositus is the only one that produces strongly thickened caudex branches; occasional collections show a tendency toward the slender, loose branches characteristic of the other species.

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

Key
1. Stems branched at or proximal to midstem; basal leaves and branches originating on elongate internodes from proximal 1–6 cm of primary stems; stems and involucres glabrous or sparsely hirsute, densely minutely glandular
var. cereus
1. Stems simple; basal leaves and stems originating from compressed nodes at caudex apices; stems and involucres densely hirsute, sparsely minutely glandular
→ 2
2. Rays 0
var. disciformis
2. Rays 15–45
var. poliospermus
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 285. FNA vol. 20, p. 300.
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. 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. 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. 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. poliospermus var. cereus, E. poliospermus var. disciformis, E. poliospermus var. poliospermus
Synonyms E. compositus var. discoideus, E. compositus var. glabratus, E. compositus var. multifidus, E. gormanii
Name authority A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(2): 210. (1884) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 535. (1813)
Web links