Common names:
Smooth fleabane, streamside fleabane
Family:
Scientific name:
Erigeron glabellus
Main flower color:
Range:
Mostly in the Rocky Mountains and the northern Great Plains
Height:
Up to 20 inches
Habitat:
Moist, mountainous locations; meadows, streambanks, up to 8,000 feet
Leaves:
Oblanceolate to spatulate, up to 6 inches long, usually with entire margins
Season:
June to August
One identifying characteristic of erigeron glabellus is the large number of ray florets; flower heads have between 125 to 175, and they overlap so that there are no gaps between. Rays are a quarter to a third of an inch in length, about the same as the diameter of the group of disc florets at the center. The phyllaries are in 3 to 4 rows, hairy, but not glandular. The stem and leaves may be lacking in hairs, or have a light covering; they are generally less hairy than some similar species, hence the common name of smooth fleabane. Stems are topped by between 1 and 15 flower heads. Leaves grow mostly around the base; those up the stem are fewer in number, shorter and narrower.
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