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

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

shaggy daisy, shaggy fleabane, tall annual willowherb

Habit Perennials, 8–20(–30) cm; taprooted, caudices branches rhizomelike, relatively long and slender. Perennials, 5–30(–50) cm; taprooted, caudices with relatively short and thick branches.
Stems

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

erect, hirsute to hispido-hirsute (often with slightly deflexed hairs), minutely to stipitate glandular.

Leaves

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.

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

basal blades oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 20–80 × 1–4(–5) mm, margins entire, faces hispid to hispido-hirsute, little, if at all, glandular;

cauline on distal 1/2–3/4 of stems, blades becoming linear-lanceolate, little reduced distally.

Involucres

4–6 × 8–10 mm.

4–7 × 7–15 mm.

Ray florets

50–100;

corollas white to pink, less commonly bluish, 6–15 mm, laminae reflexing.

Ray (pistillate) florets

0.

Disc corollas

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

3–5 mm (throats distinctly indurate and inflated, glabrous or sparsely puberulent with glandular-viscid, hairs blunt).

Phyllaries

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

in 2–4 series (midvein region orange to yellowish), hirsute to hispido-hirsute, minutely glandular.

Heads

(discoid) 1(–2–4).

1–5(–50).

Cypselae

2.2–2.8 mm, 2-nerved, faces glabrous;

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

1.4–1.8 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae or subulate scales (0.1–0.3 mm), inner of 12–27 bristles.

Erigeron reductus

Erigeron pumilus

Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; KS; MT; ND; NE; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(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
1. Pappi: outer of coarse bristles or setiform scales, inner of 12–20 bristles; rays usually pink, sometimes white; indurate portion of disc corollas relatively dull, glabrous or slightly puberulent
var. intermedius
1. Pappi: outer of inconspicuous, well-developed setae, inner of 15–27 bristles; rays white; indurate portion of disc corollas shiny, glabrous
var. pumilus
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 313. FNA vol. 20, p. 288.
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. 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
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. 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. reductus var. angustatus, E. reductus var. reductus
E. pumilus var. intermedius, E. pumilus var. pumilus
Synonyms E. inornatus var. reductus
Name authority (Cronquist) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 72: 200. (1992) Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 147. (1818)
Web links