Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Erigeron lobatus, E. lobatus var. warnockii, E. plateauensis, E. warnockii
Other common names
prairie fleabane
marsh fleabane
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Similar species
Egerion flagellaris, E. tracyi
Height
To 1-1/3 feet
Riparian
No
Starts out as a low, hairy-leaved clump of white daisy-like flowers on leafless stalks rising above the foliage. Lower leaves wither and stem leaves appear on branched stalks. Later in the season, the plant takes on a sprawling habit and curves downward.
Plants slender, small-leaved, multiple stems from base; stems branched, glandular, hairy; leaves highly dissected, pointed at the base, often spatula-like; stems leafy from the base; flower discs <1/2 inch wide; ray flowers white, dry to light purple.
Habitat
Dry, rocky, gravelly sites with sandy, clayey, chalky, or granite soils. Sometimes found on deep sandy hills or in open areas, hillsides, slopes, roadsides, meadows, brushlands and desert scrublands. Often found in pinyon-juniper-oak woodlands.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
600
High elevation
7550
Flower Characteristics
Flower heads to 3/4 inch wide with as many as 170 (often 24 to 65) petal-like white flowers (ray florets) around a center of numerous tiny yellow flowers (disc florets); buds, pink nodding; the back of the ray florets often have a tinge of reddish-purple.
Flower color
White, yellow center, ages light purple
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
June
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems covered with loose, flat to shaggy hairs. Basal leaves wither at blooming time and are broader than the very narrow stem leaves which are 2 inches long, 1/8 inch wide and gradually reduced on the upper stem with margins that are smooth or toothed.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit is dry, flat, less than 1/16 inch long, has an oblong to egg-shaped, broader at tip, with 2 ribs and a slight covering of short, stiff, flat hairs on its surface. There are tufts of slender white hairs and bristles at its top.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Light yellowish-brown
1 seed is produced by the fruit. Fruit does not split open at maturity to release the seed. Bristles on top of the seed promote wind dispersal.