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

Porsild's arctic fleabane

Habit Perennials, 3–15 cm; taprooted, caudices simple or with relatively short and thick branches. Perennials, (2–)10–20(–25) cm; rhizomatous, fibrous-rooted, rhizomes horizontal or erect, sometimes branched, relatively short, sometimes resembling taproots.
Stems

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

erect, sparsely to moderately villous (hairs 0.5–1.6 mm), usually stipitate-glandular (hairs 0.05–0.4 mm).

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.

basal (persistent) and cauline;

basal blades oblong-oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 30–120 × (3–)5–14 mm, margins entire (apices acute), faces densely hirsute to coarsely villous, sparsely stipitate-glandular to minutely glandular;

cauline blades oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, gradually reduced distally or nearly equal-sized (bases often subclasping).

Involucres

5–9 × 9–20 mm.

6–10 × 12–20 mm.

Ray florets

15–45 or 0;

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

65–110;

corollas white to lavender or blue, 13–17 mm (1.2–1.7 mm wide), laminae weakly coiling.

Disc corollas

(3.5–)4–5.5 mm.

3.8–4.5 mm.

Phyllaries

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

in ca. 2 series (purple at least at tips, narrowly lanceolate, equal, apically acuminate), densely hirsute, hirsuto-villous, or villous (hairs whitish, cross walls not colored), sparsely stipitate-glandular to minutely glandular.

Heads

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

1.

Cypselae

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

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

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

pappi: outer of relatively long setae or scales, inner of 14–20(–25) bristles.

2n

= 36.

Erigeron poliospermus

Erigeron porsildii

Phenology Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Cliffs and talus (often calcareous) slopes, shaley gravel, grassy ravines, dry tundra
Elevation 600–2100 m (2000–6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; NT; YT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Erigeron hultenii S. A. Spongberg was noted to be “closely allied to the polymorphic arctic-alpine species E. grandiflorus W. J. Hooker” (S. A. Spongberg 1973, p. 116) and to have a “close morphologic resemblance to some plants of E. grandiflorus from Alaska” [E. porsildii in the present sense] (p. 119). Plants corresponding to E. hultenii have not been recollected, and that taxon does not fit with any other known Alaskan species. Contrasts with E. porsildii exclude it from that species. Erigeron hultenii is not recognized formally herein.

(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. 324.
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. 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. 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. grandiflorus subsp. arcticus
Name authority A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(2): 210. (1884) G. L. Nesom & D. F. Murray: Sida 21: 44. (2004)
Web links