Erigeron speciosus |
Erigeron sceptrifer |
|
---|---|---|
aspen fleabane, showy daisy, showy fleabane, splendid fleabane |
scepter-bearing fleabane |
|
Habit | Perennials, 30–80(–100) cm; rhizomatous, fibrous-rooted, caudices relatively thick. | Annuals, 3–8 cm; taprooted. |
Stems | erect, glabrous or sparsely hirsuto-pilose (hairs 0.5–1 mm), often minutely glandular distally. |
(single or multiple) ascending from bases, moderately hirsuto-hirtellous (hairs spreading-ascending, mostly on ribs, bases thickened), minutely glandular. |
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). |
mostly cauline; blades linear to linear-oblanceolate, 10–30 × 0.5–1.5 mm (proximal rarely 4 mm wide), margins entire or proximalmost with 1–2 pairs of teeth, faces loosely ascending-strigose, minutely glandular. |
Involucres | 6–9 × 11–22 mm. |
3–3.5 × 4–6 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. |
(60–)85–130(–195); corollas white, drying purple, less often pink to bluish, 3.8–5 mm, laminae downward curving-reflexing. |
Disc corollas | 4–5 mm. |
1.8–2.3 mm (throats indurate and inflated). |
Phyllaries | in 2–3(–4) series, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hirsuto-pilose, minutely glandular. |
in 3–4 series, sparsely hirsuto-strigose, minutely glandular. |
Heads | (2–)4–20 in corymbiform arrays. |
20–50+ in loosely corymbiform arrays (buds erect). |
Cypselae | 1.5–1.8 mm, 2(–4)-nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of setae, inner of 20–30 bristles. |
0.6–0.7 mm, 2-nerved (nerves orange), faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer 0 or scales or setae, inner of 9–14 bristles. |
Erigeron speciosus |
Erigeron sceptrifer |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jul–Oct. | Flowering Jul–Oct. |
Habitat | Dry or moist, gravelly or loamy soil, prairies, yellow pine, pine-fir, spruce-fir, aspen-spruce | Grasslands with scattered juniper, oak, or oak-pine |
Elevation | (600–)900–3400 m ((2000–)3000–11200 ft) | 1300–2100 m (4300–6900 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; Mexico (Baja California)
|
AZ; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora) |
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.) |
Of conservation concern. Erigeron sceptrifer is similar in habit to E. divergens; it has stem hairs only along the ribs, erect (versus nodding) buds, pappi of more bristles, without a conspicuous outer series, reflexing ray laminae, and orange cypselar nerves. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 330. | FNA vol. 20, p. 337. |
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) | G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 69: 248. (1990) |
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