Common names:
Showy daisy, aspen fleabane, showy fleabane
Family:
Scientific name:
Erigeron speciosus
Main flower color:
Range:
Washington and Oregon, southeast to Colorado and New Mexico
Height:
Up to 3 feet
Habitat:
Open woodland, meadows, prairie; 2,600 to 11,000 feet
Leaves:
Lanceolate, alternate, up to 6 inches long, becoming smaller high up the stem
Season:
June to September
The color of erigeron speciosus ray florets ranges from bright pink to pure white. Flowerheads grow singly from short leafless stems branching from the top of the leaf stalks, and consist of yellow disc florets surrounded by narrow, radial ray florets, sometimes numbering up to 150 but usually rather fewer, so that the petals do not overlap to the same extent as is found in many similar species. Phyllaries are usually hairless, and in 2 or 3 rows; the narrow tips become brownish as the flowers mature, and bend back, in an irregular fashion.
The lanceolate leaves (which have a few prominent lengthwise veins) are essentially hairless; this is one distinguishing factor from the otherwise similar erigeron subtrinervis. The reddish-green stems may also be hairless, or sparsely hairy, with hairs less than 1/20 of an inch long. The plant is found over a wide range, from Canada to Arizona.
The lanceolate leaves (which have a few prominent lengthwise veins) are essentially hairless; this is one distinguishing factor from the otherwise similar erigeron subtrinervis. The reddish-green stems may also be hairless, or sparsely hairy, with hairs less than 1/20 of an inch long. The plant is found over a wide range, from Canada to Arizona.
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