|
| Erigeron strigosus
var. strigosus Muhl. ex Willd. |
|
| |
| TAXONOMY |
| |
| Family: |
Asteraceae or Compositae |
| Genus: |
Erigeron |
| |
| Species Synonyms: |
Erigeron annuus ssp. strigosus
(Muhl. ex Willd.) Wagenitz
Erigeron ramosus (Walt.) B.S.P.
Erigeron strigosus var. discoideus Robbins ex Gray
Erigeron strigosus var. eliqulatus Cronq.
Erigeron
strigosus var. typicus Cronq.
Erigeron traversii
Shinners
Stenactis strigosa (Muhl. ex Willd.) DC. |
| Common Names: |
whitetop
prairie fleabane
daisy fleabane |
| |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| |
| Canada: |
British Columbia, northeastern Alberta, central
and southeastern Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland,
Nova Scotia |
| Saskatchewan: |
central – southeastern Saskatchewan; Meadow
Lake Provincial Park – Souris River Valley |
| Ecoregion: |
Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal
Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland |
| |
| HABITAT |
| |
| Saskatchewan: |
sandy, clay, shale and alkaline
soils in grassy prairies, shores, and forest clearings |
| |
| RARITY STATUS |
| |
Provincial
Status According
to Harms (2003): |
Threatened |
| Nature Conservancy
Status: |
G5T5 S2S3 |
Saskatchewan
Species at
Risk Status: |
None |
| COSEWIC Status:
|
None |
| |
| Whitetop is apparently
secure, occurring in two or three general regions of the province; however,
populations are small and isolated, making this species vulnerable. |
| |
| SPECIES
DESCRIPTION |
| |
| Height: |
30 – 70 cm tall |
| Roots: |
fibrous |
| Stems: |
can be reddish in larger specimens, finely covered
in short, stiff appressed hairs |
| Leaves: |
basal and stem leaves; basal leaves to 15 cm long,
to 2.5 cm wide, quickly falling, tapering to stalk, inversely lance-shaped
to elliptic, margin entire to sparingly toothed; stem leaves alternate,
sessile, linear to lance-shaped |
| Inflorescence: |
heads several, 5 – 12 mm broad; bracts 3
– 5 mm, subequal, green; receptacle naked |
| Flowers: |
ray flowers 50 – 100, rarely 0, to 6 mm
long, 1 mm wide, white or pinkish; disc flowers 1.5 – 2.5 mm long |
| Fruits: |
achenes 2-nerved; pappus double, inner series
of 10 – 15 fragile bristles, outer series of bristly scales |
| |
| ERIGERON
SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN |
| |
| 1 Leaves dissected |
E. compositus |
| 1 Leaves not dissected |
2 |
| |
|
2 Rays absent or inconspicuous (<
6 mm, if greater than 6 mm long, < 1 mm wide)
|
3 |
| 2 Rays present (> 6 mm) |
9 |
| |
|
| 3 Bracts hairless |
Conyza canadensis var. canadensis |
| 3 Bracts hairy and/or glandular |
4 |
| |
|
| 4 Bracts glandular, may be sparsely
hairy |
5 |
| 4 Bracts pubescent, but not glandular |
6 |
| |
|
| 5 Several to many heads; densely glandular
bracts |
E. acris ssp. politus |
| 5 Head solitary; somewhat glandular
bracts |
E. acris ssp. debilis |
| |
|
| 6 Pappus double |
7 |
| 6 Pappus single |
8 |
| |
|
| 7 Bract hairs flattened, stem hairs
appressed |
E. strigosus var. septentrionalis |
| 7 Bract hairs rounded, stem hairs
appressed to ascending |
E. strigosus var. strigosis |
| |
|
| 8 Leaves shorter than stalks of flower
heads; inflorescence branched, occasionally solitary; rayless female flowers
present between ray and disc flowers |
E. elatus |
| 8 Leaves sometimes exceeding lower
heads in inflorescence; inflorescence unbranched; occasionally solitary;
rayless female 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 Stem leaves present; flowers yellow
to white or purple |
11 |
| |
|
| 11 Leaves 3 – 7 cm long, with
1 – 3 stem leaves; flowers yellow to white or lavender |
E. ochroleucus var. scribneri |
| 11 Leaves 1 – 3 cm long, many
stem leaves; flowers purple or white |
E. hyssopifolius |
| |
|
| 12 Stems without leaves or with bract-like
leaves |
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 with ear-like
lobes |
E. philadelphicus var. philadelphicus |
| 15 Leaves not clasping or with ear-like
lobes |
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 persistent
base of stem, tough rhizome, or thick taproot |
18 |
| 17 With neither deep-well developed
rhizomes nor woody stem bases, at most a short rhizome or stolons |
19 |
| |
|
| 18 Persistent woody base of stem;
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 |
|
