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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Wandering Fleabane
Erigeron peregrinus (Banks ex Pursh) Greene

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Composite (Compositae)
Flowering: June-September
Field Marks: This fleabane, which looks like an aster, may reach a height of 2 feet. The broad purplish rays are 1/10-1/6 inch wide, and the basal leaves taper to the leaf stalk.
Habitat: Wet meadows, along streams, in bogs, particularly in the high mountains.
Habit: Perennial herb with fibrous roots and short rhizomes.
Stems: Upright, up to 2 feet tall, smooth or sometimes a little hairy.
Leaves: Basal leaves spatulate to oblanceolate, up to 4 inches long, up to 1 inch wide, without teeth, tapering to the leaf stalk; leaves on the stem alternate, lanceolate to ovate, up to 2 inches long, sessile and sometimes clasping the stem.
Flowers: Crowded into 1 or a few heads at the tip of the stem, the head up to 2 inches wide, consisting of ray flowers and a central disk of tubular flowers; ray flowers 30-80, flat, purplish, to 1 inch long, 1/10-1/6 inch wide; disk flowers tub
Sepals: 0.
Petals: Some of them purple and ray-like, others tubular, yellow, forming a central disk.
Stamens: 5.
Pistils: Ovary inferior, hairy.
Fruits: Achenes up to 1/4 inch long, hairy, with 20-30 bristles at the tip.
Notes: This species is variable with respect to hairiness, amount of teeth on the leaves, and color of the rays.

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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:27:57 EST
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