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Watson's fleabane

oak-leaf fleabane

Habit Perennials, 3–10 cm; taprooted, caudices sometimes multicipital, branches relatively short and thick, sometimes relatively long and slender.
Stems

ascending to decumbent-ascending, glabrous, eglandular.

erect to basally ascending (green proximally), proximally villous to villoso-hirsute, distally loosely strigose to hirsute, eglandular.

Leaves

mostly basal (persistent);

blades narrowly oblanceolate to spatulate (often folding), 15–60 × 1–5 mm, cauline abruptly reduced distally, margins entire, abaxial faces glabrous, adaxial sparsely strigose, eglandular.

basal (persistent) and cauline;

basal blades oblanceolate to obovate or spatulate, 15–110(–150) × 4–25(–30) mm, margins serrate or crenate to pinnately lobed, faces hirsute to villous, eglandular;

cauline blades becoming oblong, gradually reduced distally (reduced to bracts or 0 proximal to arrays, clasping to subclasping).

Involucres

4–7 × 5–10 mm.

2.5–4 × 4.5–10 mm.

Ray florets

13–25, corollas white to pink, 4–6 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing, spreading.

100–150;

corollas usually blue, sometimes white to pink, 4–6 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing.

Disc corollas

2.8–4 mm.

1.5–2.8 mm.

Phyllaries

in 2–3 series (inner usually with purple margins), glabrous, minutely glandular.

in (2–)3–4 series (sometimes basally connate), strigose to hirsuto-villous, eglandular or sparsely minutely glandular.

Heads

1(–2).

(1–)4–16(–50) in corymbiform arrays (from branches distal to midstem).

Cypselae

2–3.2 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 25–35 (straw-colored, dull) bristles.

0.6–0.9 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose;

pappi: outer of setae, inner of 10–15 bristles.

Winter

annuals, biennials, or short-lived perennials, 10–60 cm; fibrous-rooted, caudices simple.

2n

= 18.

Erigeron watsonii

Erigeron quercifolius

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun.
Habitat Gravelly or rocky slopes, ridge tops, talus, soil pockets, sagebrush, limber pine-fir Sandy sites, shell rock, roadsides, ditches, fields, areas of pine flatwoods
Elevation 2400–3300 m (7900–10800 ft) 0–15 m (0–0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; NV; UT
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; GA; NC; SC; VA; West Indies (Bahama Islands)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Erigeron quercifolius is primarily of the Atlantic coastal plain. Putative records from Alabama westward to Texas are based on specimens of E. philadelphicus or E. tenuis. Erigeron tenuis sometimes closely approaches E. quercifolius in overall appearance; it is more closely related to E. strigosus. Convergent plants of E. tenuis differ from E. quercifolius in their non-clasping cauline leaves, lanceolate (versus oblanceolate to obovate) phyllaries, and slightly longer cypselae (1–1.2 mm versus 0.6–0.9 mm).

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 304. FNA vol. 20, p. 320.
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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms Aster watsonii
Name authority (A. Gray) Cronquist: Brittonia 6: 207. (1947) Lamarck: in J. Lamarck and J. Poiret, Tabl. Encycl. 3: 258. (1796)
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