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oak-leaf fleabane

California rayless fleabane, fleabane, lesser California rayless fleabane, little rayless fleabane

Habit Perennials, 8–20(–30) cm; taprooted, caudices branches rhizomelike, relatively long and slender.
Stems

erect to basally ascending (green proximally), proximally villous to villoso-hirsute, distally loosely strigose to hirsute, eglandular.

(usually 1) erect or ascending, glabrous, eglandular.

Leaves

basal (persistent) and cauline;

basal blades oblanceolate to obovate or spatulate, 15–110(–150) × 4–25(–30) mm, margins serrate or crenate to pinnately lobed, faces hirsute to villous, eglandular;

cauline blades becoming oblong, gradually reduced distally (reduced to bracts or 0 proximal to arrays, clasping to subclasping).

cauline;

blades linear, 8–25(–35) × 0.5–1(–1.5) mm, barely reduced distally, margins entire, ascending-ciliate, faces glabrous or sparsely strigose, eglandular.

Involucres

2.5–4 × 4.5–10 mm.

4–6 × 8–10 mm.

Ray florets

100–150;

corollas usually blue, sometimes white to pink, 4–6 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing.

Ray (pistillate) florets

0.

Disc corollas

1.5–2.8 mm.

3.5–4.5 mm (throats slightly indurate, not inflated).

Phyllaries

in (2–)3–4 series (sometimes basally connate), strigose to hirsuto-villous, eglandular or sparsely minutely glandular.

in 3–5 series (greenish or purplish apically), glabrous, minutely glandular.

Heads

(1–)4–16(–50) in corymbiform arrays (from branches distal to midstem).

(discoid) 1(–2–4).

Cypselae

0.6–0.9 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 10–15 bristles.

2.2–2.8 mm, 2-nerved, faces glabrous;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 20–61 bristles.

Winter

annuals, biennials, or short-lived perennials, 10–60 cm; fibrous-rooted, caudices simple.

2n

= 18.

Erigeron quercifolius

Erigeron reductus

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun.
Habitat Sandy sites, shell rock, roadsides, ditches, fields, areas of pine flatwoods
Elevation 0–15 m (0–0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; GA; NC; SC; VA; West Indies (Bahama Islands)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Erigeron quercifolius is primarily of the Atlantic coastal plain. Putative records from Alabama westward to Texas are based on specimens of E. philadelphicus or E. tenuis. Erigeron tenuis sometimes closely approaches E. quercifolius in overall appearance; it is more closely related to E. strigosus. Convergent plants of E. tenuis differ from E. quercifolius in their non-clasping cauline leaves, lanceolate (versus oblanceolate to obovate) phyllaries, and slightly longer cypselae (1–1.2 mm versus 0.6–0.9 mm).

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Phyllaries apically purplish (variably so in Tamalpais region); pappus bristles (38–)46–61
var. angustatus
1. Phyllaries apically greenish; pappus bristles 20–30
var. reductus
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 320. FNA vol. 20, p. 313.
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. poliospermus, E. porsildii, E. pringlei, E. procumbens, E. pulchellus, E. pulcherrimus, E. pumilus, E. purpuratus, E. pygmaeus, 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. 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. reductus var. angustatus, E. reductus var. reductus
Synonyms E. inornatus var. reductus
Name authority Lamarck: in J. Lamarck and J. Poiret, Tabl. Encycl. 3: 258. (1796) (Cronquist) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 72: 200. (1992)
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