Erigeron speciosus |
Erigeron alpiniformis |
|
---|---|---|
aspen fleabane, showy daisy, showy fleabane, splendid fleabane |
alpine fleabane |
|
Habit | Perennials, 30–80(–100) cm; rhizomatous, fibrous-rooted, caudices relatively thick. | Perennials 2–20 cm; rhizomatous, fibrous-rooted, rhizomes or caudices sometimes branched. |
Stems | erect, glabrous or sparsely hirsuto-pilose (hairs 0.5–1 mm), often minutely glandular distally. |
erect, moderately villoso-hirsute (hairs sometimes retrorse), eglandular. |
Leaves | basal (usually withering by flowering) and cauline; basal blades oblanceolate-spatulate, 30–80(–150) × 4–18(–28) mm, margins entire, often ciliate (main veins sometimes also), faces glabrous, eglandular or distal sparsely minutely glandular; cauline blades ovate to ovate-lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate, or lanceolate, nearly even-sized distally or sometimes mid largest (continuing to immediately below heads, bases usually clasping to subclasping). |
basal (persistent) and cauline; basal blades oblanceolate to spatulate or subspatulate, 20–50(–80) × 4–10 mm, margins entire, (apices rounded) faces moderately villoso-hirsute, eglandular; cauline broadly linear to narrowly lanceolate-oblong, gradually reduced distally. |
Involucres | 6–9 × 11–22 mm. |
6–8 × 12–20 mm. |
Ray florets | 75–150; corollas blue to lavender, rarely whitish, 8–16 mm (mostly 1 mm wide), laminae slightly coiling at least at tips. |
100–200; corollas white to pink-purple, 4–6 mm, laminae erect (filiform, 0.3–1 mm wide), not coiling or reflexing. |
Disc corollas | 4–5 mm. |
3.7–4.7 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 2–3(–4) series, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hirsuto-pilose, minutely glandular. |
in 2–3 series (somewhat foliaceous, usually green, faces sometimes purplish throughout or at tips), villous (usually mostly on proximal 1/2, hairs rigid, usually oriented in single direction, cross walls sometimes colored), eglandular. |
Heads | (2–)4–20 in corymbiform arrays. |
1(–2, very rarely –4). |
Cypselae | 1.5–1.8 mm, 2(–4)-nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of setae, inner of 20–30 bristles. |
1.5 mm (immature), 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of setae, inner of 20–30 (non-accrescent) bristles. |
2n | = 18. |
|
Erigeron speciosus |
Erigeron alpiniformis |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jul–Oct. | Flowering Jun–Aug. |
Habitat | Dry or moist, gravelly or loamy soil, prairies, yellow pine, pine-fir, spruce-fir, aspen-spruce | Rocky slopes and meadows |
Elevation | (600–)900–3400 m ((2000–)3000–11200 ft) | ca. 1100–1800 m (ca. 3600–5900 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; Mexico (Baja California)
|
Greenland |
Discussion | The population in Baja California is disjunct from the closest range in Arizona and northern Nevada. Plants glabrous and glandular on the phyllaries, stems, and leaves have been recognized as var. macranthus; they intergrade with hairier forms and do not show a coherent geographic pattern. Plants commonly identified as Erigeron subtrinervis var. conspicuus usually have stems sparsely hirsuto-pilose with hairs 1–1.5 mm, and the leaves commonly are ciliate on the margins and veins. As implied in the nomenclatural combination by Breitung, those plants are more similar to E. speciosus than to E. subtrinervis, and they apparently show part of the greater variability of E. speciosus in the northwestern part of its range (Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming), where more typical plants also occur. Erigeron speciosus and E. subtrinervis are sympatric over large parts of their ranges and appear to be at least partially reproductively isolated entities, although intermediates are frequently encountered. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
T. W. Böcher et al. (1968) identified this as Erigeron uniflorus in the strict sense and treated E. uniflorus var. eriocephalus as the distinct species E. eriocephalus. A. Cronquist (1947) viewed E. alpiniformis as distinct from both E. eriocephalus and E. borealis (Vierhapper) Simmons. The taxonomy of those plants needs to be reviewed in detail. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 330. | FNA vol. 20, p. 326. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Erigeron |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Stenactis speciosa, E. conspicuus, E. macranthus, E. speciosus var. conspicuus, E. speciosus var. macranthus, E. subtrinervis subsp. conspicuus, E. subtrinervis var. conspicuus | |
Name authority | (Lindley) de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 5: 284. (1836) | Cronquist: Brittonia 6: 235. (1947) |
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