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Erigeron elatus (Hook.) Greene
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TAXONOMY
 
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae
Genus: Erigeron
 
Species Synonyms: Erigeron elatus var. oligocephalus (Fern. & Wieg.) Fern.
Erigeron acris var. elatus (Hook.) Cronq.
Erigeron alpinus var. elatus Hook.
Trimorpha elata (Hook.) Nesom
Common Names: tall white fleabane
swamp boreal-daisy
 
DISTRIBUTION
 
Canada: Yukon Territory, Mackenzie District – Labrador, south to British Columbia, central Saskatchewan – western Ontario, eastern Quebec, Newfoundland
Saskatchewan: northern – central Saskatchewan; Lake Athabasca –Porcupine Hills
Ecoregion: Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland, Mid-Boreal Lowland, Tazin Lake Upland
 
HABITAT
 
Saskatchewan: open, moist woods and shrublands
Associated Species: Alnus viridula ssp. crispa, Amerorchis rotundifolia, Canadanthus modestus, Carex leptalea, Cladonia sp., Crepis runcinata, Glyceria striata, Ledum groenlandicum, Parnassia palustris, Picea glauca, Picea mariana, Pleurozium schreberi, Populus tremuloides, Sphagnum sp.
 
RARITY STATUS
 
Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):
Vulnerable
Nature Conservancy Status:
G5 T5
Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:
None
COSEWIC Status:
None
 
Erigeron elatus is only somewhat regionally restricted in Saskatchewan and no immediate threats are known or anticipated for this species.
 
SPECIES DESCRIPTION
 
Height: 10 – 30 cm tall
Roots: fibrous; rhizome
Stems: thin, pubescent, not glandular
Leaves: basal and cauline; basal long-petioled, 3 – 7 cm long, to 1 cm wide; spatulate, oblanceolate upwards, glabrous to hirsute, margin entire; cauline leaves sessile, reduced upwards, oblanceolate to linear, glabrous to hirsute, margin entire
Inflorescence: heads few in terminal cymes, occasionally solitary; peduncles erect ascending or spreading; peduncles and phyllaries hirsute; phyllaries subequal, shorter than ligules, to 0.7 cm long, 0.5 mm wide, lanceolate, green with scarious margins and tips; receptacle naked
Flowers: ligulate florets many, 2 – 3 mm long, < 1 mm wide, inconspicuous, purple or white; many rayless pistillate flowers present between ligulate and tubular florets; tubular florets perfect, slender corollas
Fruits: achenes 2-nerved, sparsely hairy; pappus of 25 – 35 capillary bristles, may have a few short setae
 
ERIGERON SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN
 
1 Leaves dissected
E. compositus
1 Leaves not dissected
2
   
2 Rays absent or inconspicuous (< 6 mm; if longer than 6 mm, < 1 mm wide)
3
2 Rays present (> 6 mm)
9
   
3 Involucre glabrous
Conyza canadensis var. canadensis
3 Involucre pubescent and/or glandular
4
 
4 Involucre glandular, may be sparsely pubescent
5
4 Involucre pubescent, but not glandular
6
 
5 Several to many heads; densely glandular involucre
E. acris ssp. politus
5 Head solitary; somewhat glandular involucre
E. acris ssp. debilis
 
6 Pappus double
7
6 Pappus single
8
 
7 Phyllary hairs flattened, stem hairs appressed
E. strigosus var. septentrionalis
7 Phyllary hairs terete, stem hairs appressed to ascending
E. strigosus var. strigosis
 
8 Leaves shorter than peduncles of flower heads; inflorescence corymbose, occasionally solitary; rayless pistillate flowers present between ray and disc flowers
E. elatus
8 Leaves sometimes exceeding lower heads in inflorescence; inflorescence racemose; occasionally solitary; rayless pistillate flowers absent
E. lonchophyllos
 
9 Plants < 20 cm high; heads few to solitary
10
9 Plants > 20 cm high; heads 2 – many
12
 
10 Leaves usually basal only; flowers white
E. radicatus
10 Cauline leaves present; flowers yellow or purple (if white, leaves 3 – 7 cm long)
11
 
11 Leaves 3 – 7 cm long, with 1 – 3 cauline leaves; flowers yellow to white or lavender
E. ochroleucus var. scribneri
11 Leaves 1 – 3 cm long, many cauline leaves; flowers purple
E. hyssopifolius
 
12 Stems scapose or subscapose
E. pumilus
12 Stems distinctly leafy, often reduced upwards
13
 
13 Ray florets coloured
14
13 Ray flowers white
16
 
14 Stem leaves largest at the middle of stem
E. hyssopifolius
14 Stem leaves reduced upwards
15
 
15 Leaves clasping and auriculate
E. philadelphicus var. philadelphicus
15 Leaves not clasping or auriculate
E. glabellus var. glabellus
 
16 Stem leaves largest at the middle of stem
E. hyssopifolius
16 Stem leaves reduced upwards
17
 
17 Perennial with woody caudex, tough rhizome, or thick taproot
18
17 With neither deep-well developed rhizomes nor woody caudices, at most a short rhizome or stolons
19
 
18 Caudex; stem leaves 5 – 7
E. glabellus var. glabellus
18 Thick taproot; stem leaves > 10
E. caespitosus
 
19 Pappus of ray and disc florets unlike (pappus of rays single)
E. annuus
19 Pappus of ray and disc florets alike
E. asper