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Tweedy's fleabane

sand fleabane, western daisy fleabane, western fleabane

Habit Perennials, 4–20 cm; taprooted, caudices multicipital crowns or branches relatively short and thick. Annuals (or biennials?), 3.5–30(–50) cm; taprooted.
Stems

erect to ascending or decumbent-prostrate, densely strigose (hairs relatively thin), eglandular.

erect to ascending, hirsutulous (hairs upcurved), usually eglandular, sometimes minutely glandular (var. arenarius).

Leaves

basal (persistent) and cauline;

basal (silvery) blades spatulate, broadly elliptic, 50–250 × 5–13 mm, cauline abruptly reduced distally, margins entire, faces densely strigoso-sericeous (hairs gray-white), eglandular.

basal (sometimes persistent) and cauline or mostly cauline;

blades linear to oblanceolate or spatulate, 10–60(–80) × 2–6(–9, or 15) mm, margins entire, lobed, or pinnately dissected, faces sparsely strigose, eglandular.

Involucres

4–6 × 9–14 mm.

3–5 × 5–7(–11) mm.

Ray florets

20–50;

corollas blue to purple, sometimes white, 5–9 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing.

22–70 (some positioned among inner phyllaries);

corollas white, often with abaxial lilac midstripe, drying white to bluish, 4–7.5 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing.

Disc corollas

3.1–4.3 mm.

2.2–3 mm (throats indurate and inflated).

Phyllaries

in 3–4 series, finely hirsuto-strigose, sparsely minutely glandular.

in 2–3(–4) series, hispidulous, minutely glandular.

Heads

1–4.

1–12 usually in diffuse arrays (from branches beyond midstems or sometimes clustered distally).

Cypselae

2–2.5 mm, 2-nerved, faces strigoso-sericeous;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 20–30 bristles.

1–1.6(–1.8) mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer cartilaginous crowns, inner of 15–18 bristles.

Erigeron tweedyi

Erigeron bellidiastrum

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Clay hills, rocky slopes, limestone taluses, shale outcrops, sagebrush-grasslands
Elevation (1300–)1600–3000 m ((4300–)5200–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; KS; MT; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; UT; WY; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Erigeron bellidiastrum is recognized by its annual duration, upcurved hairs of the stem, relatively few rays, 1-seriate pappi, and by some ray florets consistently produced between the phyllaries, the mature cypselae of these held in place as the phyllaries reflex at maturity.

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

Key
1. Basal and proximal cauline leaf margins deeply dentate to pinnately lobed
var. arenarius
1. Basal and proximal cauline leaf margins entire or rarely with pair of shallow teeth
→ 2
2. Proximal stems mostly 1–2(–2.5) mm wide; basal and proximal cauline leaf blades linear to linear-oblanceolate, 10–15(–30) × 1–2.5(–3) mm
var. bellidiastrum
2. Proximal stems mostly (2–)2.5–5 mm wide; basal and proximal cauline leaf blades oblanceolate, 20–40(–60) × 3–5(–15) mm
var. robustus
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 304. FNA vol. 20, p. 338.
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. tenuis, E. tracyi, E. trifidus, 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. 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. 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. bellidiastrum var. arenarius, E. bellidiastrum var. bellidiastrum, E. bellidiastrum var. robustus
Name authority Canby: Bot. Gaz. 13: 17. (1888) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 307. (1840)
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