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slender fleabane, slender-leaf fleabane

glaber daisy, rockslide daisy, rockslide fleabane, rockslide yellow fleabane

Habit Biennials or short-lived perennials, 10–45 cm; fibrous-rooted, caudices simple. Perennials, 4–12(–15) cm; taprooted (taproots often not evident or not collected), caudices with diffuse system of relatively long and slender, rhizomelike branches.
Stems

ascending (usually reddish proximally, branched distally), strigose, rarely hirsute proximally, eglandular.

decumbent to ascending or erect (usually purplish proximally, sometimes greenish), glabrous or sparsely strigillose (hairs closely to loosely appressed), eglandular.

Leaves

basal (commonly persistent) and cauline;

basal blades oblanceolate to obovate or spatulate, 20–100(–130) × 4–20 mm, margins serrate or crenate to pinnately lobed, faces sparsely hirsute to strigoso-hirsute (hairs ascending), eglandular;

cauline becoming narrower and entire (bases not clasping or subclasping), abruptly reduced near midstem.

basal and cauline;

basal blades oblanceolate to obovate or spatulate, 15–70 × 2–11(–15) mm;

cauline reduced distally (bases of basal sometimes purplish, enlarged; of cauline, not subclasping), margins entire, faces glabrous or sparsely strigose, eglandular.

Involucres

(2–)2.5–4 × 5–10 mm.

4–6 × 7–13 mm.

Ray florets

60–120;

corollas blue to pale lavender or white, drying blue to purplish, 3–5 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing.

15–60;

corollas white to blue or purple, 6–11 mm, laminae reflexing.

Disc corollas

2–2.7 mm.

3.2–4.4 mm.

Phyllaries

in 2–4 series, sparsely strigose, eglandular.

in 2–3 series (often purplish, narrowly elliptic, erect, apices appressed), glabrous or sparsely strigose, minutely glandular.

Heads

(1–)3–20(–60) in loosely corymbiform arrays (usually from branches beyond midstem).

1.

Cypselae

1–1.2 mm, 2(–4)-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 11–15 bristles.

2–2.2 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 15–25 bristles.

2n

= 18.

Erigeron tenuis

Erigeron leiomerus

Phenology Flowering mid Mar–May(–Jun, –Nov). Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Open oak, oak-pine, or pine woodlands, roadsides, fencerows, pastures, bottomland, sand or sandy clay, less common in clay Talus slopes, boulder fields, and other rocky or gravelly habitats, meadows, spruce, lodgepole pine, alpine tundra
Elevation 10–200 m (0–700 ft) 2600–3800 m (8500–12500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; KS; LA; MO; MS; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

A plant reported as Erigeron tenuis disjunct in North Carolina is perhaps better identified as E. strigosus: pappus bristles on the ray cypselae are reduced and variable in number.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 347. FNA vol. 20, p. 308.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 175. (1841) A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(2): 211. (1884)
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