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

slender fleabane, slender-leaf fleabane

Indian Canyon fleabane

Habit Biennials or short-lived perennials, 10–45 cm; fibrous-rooted, caudices simple. Perennials, 2–8 cm; taprooted, caudices branched, retaining old leaf bases.
Stems

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

erect (greenish proximally, essentially scapiform), strigose, 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.

mostly basal (persistent);

blades oblanceolate to spatulate, 10–50 × (1–)2–5(–7) mm, sometimes continuing on proximal 1/2 of stems, margins entire, faces usually sparsely to densely strigose, abaxial sometimes glabrous or glabrate, eglandular.

Involucres

(2–)2.5–4 × 5–10 mm.

5–7 × 6–12(–15) mm.

Ray florets

60–120;

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

14–30;

corollas white to pink or purplish, 4–8 mm, laminae coiling and reflexing.

Disc corollas

2–2.7 mm.

3.5–5 mm.

Phyllaries

in 2–4 series, sparsely strigose, eglandular.

in 2–3(–4) series, densely hispiduloso-hirsute, eglandular.

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.

2.3–3 mm, 2-nerved, faces and margins moderately strigose to strigoso-sericeous, margins densely ciliate;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 18–35 bristles.

Erigeron tenuis

Erigeron untermannii

Phenology Flowering mid Mar–May(–Jun, –Nov). Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Open oak, oak-pine, or pine woodlands, roadsides, fencerows, pastures, bottomland, sand or sandy clay, less common in clay Exposed sites, calcareous shale, limestone, sandstone, or marly gravel, meadows, pinyon-juniper, mountain mahogany, limber and bristlecone pine, sagebrush
Elevation 10–200 m (0–700 ft) 2100–3400 m (6900–11200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; KS; LA; MO; MS; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Rays of Erigeron untermannii tend to both coil and reflex, emphasizing its apparent close relationship to E. caespitosus. The leaves are often spatulate and glabrous to glabrate abaxially, features more similar to E. radicatus and its close relatives. Hybrid parentage is a reasonable hypothesis.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 347. FNA vol. 20, p. 284.
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. 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. tenuis, E. tracyi, E. trifidus, E. tweedyi, E. uintahensis, E. uncialis, E. uniflorus, E. ursinus, E. utahensis, E. vagus, E. velutipes, E. vernus, E. versicolor, E. vetensis, E. vicinus, E. vreelandii, E. watsonii, E. wilkenii, E. yukonensis
Synonyms E. carringtoniae
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 175. (1841) S. L. Welsh & Goodrich: Great Basin Naturalist 43: 367. (1983)
Web links