FNA: Erigeron versicolor

	Erigeron versicolor
	bald-fruit fleabane, changing fleabane
Habit	Annuals or rarely short-lived perennials, 12–50(–80) cm; taprooted or rarely fibrous-rooted.
Stems	(single or multiple from bases) usually basally ascending, strigose to villous, often slightly and minutely stipitate-glandular near to heads.
Leaves	basal (usually not persistent) and cauline; blades narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, basal (5–)20–50 × 3–9 mm, cauline gradually reduced distally, margins entire or proximal shallowly crenate to serrate with 1–3 pairs of teeth, faces sparsely strigose, eglandular.
Involucres	2.5–4 × (3–)5–9 mm.
Ray florets	60–110; corollas white, 2.5–5(–7) mm, laminae not reflexing or coiling.
Disc corollas	1.2–2 mm (throats slightly indurate and inflated).
Phyllaries	in 2–3 series (margins scarious at least in inner), sparsely hirsute, minutely glandular.
Heads	(1–)5–ca. 100.
Cypselae	(0.5–)0.8–1.3 mm, 2-nerved, faces glabrous or sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of minute, blunt scales or fimbriate crowns (to 0.15 mm), inner 0.
2n	= 18, 27, 36.

	Erigeron versicolor
Phenology	Flowering Apr–Jun(–Oct).
Habitat	Scattered and local, open sites, usually in moist soil, edges of low or marshy areas, stream edges, ditches
Elevation	100–400 m (2600–2900 m, Ariz.) (300–1300 ft (8500–9500 ft, Ariz.))
Distribution	AZ; NM; TX; Mexico [BONAP county map]
Discussion	In Arizona, Erigeron versicolor grows in meadows, along creeks, and in pine-aspen-spruce areas. Erigeron versicolor is distinguished by its annual duration, nodding buds, conic receptacles, broad phyllaries, and pappi of only minute crowns. The species appears to be disjunctly divided among three regions in the United States and Mexico (D. C. D. De Jong and G. L. Nesom 1996), and habitats vary widely. This is an unusual distribution. There is much variation in duration, root type, orientation of stem pubescence, elaboration of the pappus crown, and achene vestiture, and this morphologic variation does not appear to be strongly correlated with geography. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 20, p. 344.
Parent taxa	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. tweedyi, E. uintahensis, E. uncialis, E. uniflorus, E. untermannii, E. ursinus, E. utahensis, E. vagus, E. velutipes, E. vernus, E. vetensis, E. vicinus, E. vreelandii, E. watsonii, E. wilkenii, E. yukonensis
Synonyms	Achaetogeron versicolor, Achaetogeron chihuahuensis, E. geiseri var. calcicola, E. gilensis, E. mimegletes
Name authority	(Greenman) G. L. Nesom: Sida 9: 225. (1982)
Web links	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Erigeron versicolor

bald-fruit fleabane, changing fleabane

Habit

Annuals or rarely short-lived perennials, 12–50(–80) cm; taprooted or rarely fibrous-rooted.

Stems

(single or multiple from bases) usually basally ascending, strigose to villous, often slightly and minutely stipitate-glandular near to heads.

Leaves

basal (usually not persistent) and cauline;

blades narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, basal (5–)20–50 × 3–9 mm, cauline gradually reduced distally, margins entire or proximal shallowly crenate to serrate with 1–3 pairs of teeth, faces sparsely strigose, eglandular.

Involucres

2.5–4 × (3–)5–9 mm.

Ray florets

60–110;

corollas white, 2.5–5(–7) mm, laminae not reflexing or coiling.

Disc corollas

1.2–2 mm (throats slightly indurate and inflated).

Phyllaries

in 2–3 series (margins scarious at least in inner), sparsely hirsute, minutely glandular.

Heads

(1–)5–ca. 100.

Cypselae

(0.5–)0.8–1.3 mm, 2-nerved, faces glabrous or sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of minute, blunt scales or fimbriate crowns (to 0.15 mm), inner 0.

= 18, 27, 36.

Erigeron versicolor

Phenology

Flowering Apr–Jun(–Oct).

Habitat

Scattered and local, open sites, usually in moist soil, edges of low or marshy areas, stream edges, ditches

Elevation

100–400 m (2600–2900 m, Ariz.) (300–1300 ft (8500–9500 ft, Ariz.))

Distribution

AZ; NM; TX; Mexico

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

In Arizona, Erigeron versicolor grows in meadows, along creeks, and in pine-aspen-spruce areas.

Erigeron versicolor is distinguished by its annual duration, nodding buds, conic receptacles, broad phyllaries, and pappi of only minute crowns. The species appears to be disjunctly divided among three regions in the United States and Mexico (D. C. D. De Jong and G. L. Nesom 1996), and habitats vary widely. This is an unusual distribution. There is much variation in duration, root type, orientation of stem pubescence, elaboration of the pappus crown, and achene vestiture, and this morphologic variation does not appear to be strongly correlated with geography.

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

Source

FNA vol. 20, p. 344.

Parent taxa

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. tweedyi, E. uintahensis, E. uncialis, E. uniflorus, E. untermannii, E. ursinus, E. utahensis, E. vagus, E. velutipes, E. vernus, E. vetensis, E. vicinus, E. vreelandii, E. watsonii, E. wilkenii, E. yukonensis

Synonyms

Achaetogeron versicolor, Achaetogeron chihuahuensis, E. geiseri var. calcicola, E. gilensis, E. mimegletes

Name authority

(Greenman) G. L. Nesom: Sida 9: 225. (1982)

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

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Erigeron versicolor

Erigeron versicolor