Erigeron nivalis |
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bitter daisy, bitter fleabane, northern daisy, snow fleabane, snow fleabane daisy, snowbed fleabane |
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Habit | Biennials or short-lived perennials, 5–25(–35) cm; usually fibrous-rooted, sometimes taprooted, caudices simple or branched, sometimes weakly short-rhizomatous. |
Stems | erect to basally ascending, sometimes sparsely hirsuto-villous, minutely glandular. |
Leaves | basal (persistent) and cauline (petiole margins coarsely ciliate); basal blades oblanceolate to spatulate, 20–60 × 2–6(–10) mm; cauline gradually reduced distally, margins entire or rarely with 1–2 pairs of shallow teeth, faces sparsely hirsuto-strigose, eglandular. |
Involucres | 5–6 × 8–11 mm. |
Ray (pistillate) florets | in 2 series; outer 40–70, corollas white to pinkish 5.5–7 mm, laminae (filiform) erect, not coiling or reflexing; inner many fewer than outer series, tubular, elaminate. |
Disc corollas | 4.4–5.5 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 2–3(–4) series (inner apices attenuate to caudate), sparsely hirsuto-villous or glabrous, minutely glandular. |
Heads | 1–6(–8) in corymbiform arrays (on curved-ascending peduncles). |
Cypselae | 2–2.3 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of setae, inner of (12–)14–21 (accrescent) bristles. |
2n | = 18. |
Erigeron nivalis |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Rocky sites, gravel bars and banks, roadsides, meadows, open woods, up to subalpine areas with spruce in Rocky Mountains |
Elevation | 1200–3700 m (3900–12100 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
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Discussion | Erigeron nivalis usually has been treated as an infra-specific taxon within E. acris; the two are broadly sympatric in the northwestern United States and Canada without obvious intergrades. Both occur over a wide range of elevations and in similar habitats. Erigeron nivalis probably occurs in Nevada; it has not been taxonomically distinguished there. Erigeron scotteri was regarded by E. H. Moss and J. G. Packer (1983) as a synonym of E. acris (presumably var. debilis = E. nivalis; the heads are relatively small and borne singly). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 322. |
Parent taxa | |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | E. acris subsp. debilis, E. acris var. debilis, E. angulosus subsp. debilis, E. debilis, E. elatus var. bakeri, E. jucundus, E. scotteri, Trimorpha acris var. debilis |
Name authority | Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 311. (1841) |
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