Erigeron philadelphicus

      
Philadelphia fleabane

Inflorescence in Ground

Duck Mountain Provincial Park
07-July-2006

Note that the key to the species in Flora of Alberta requires:
bullet

rays absent, inconspicuous or short, NOT more than 5 mm long; NOT [rays present, longer than 5 mm)]

This is incorrect.  Note also that the same key requires somewhat contradictory attributes of the leaves.  These are labeled (FOA) below.

bullet

Philadelphicus:  Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora (BF) and Flora of Alberta (FOA) leading to this species. 
bullet

plants usually more than 20 cm high

bullet

plants NOT producing leafy stolons

bullet

leaves more or less entire, not dissected, trifid or lobed at the apex; NOT [leaves dissected, or at least some trifid or lobed at the apex] (FOA)

bullet

basal leaves lobed or toothed, occasionally entire (FOA)

bullet

stem leaves gradually reduced upward; NOT [stem leaves at middle of stem longer than those above and below]

bullet

cauline leaves auriculate-clasping

bullet

heads usually more than one; NOT [head solitary]

bullet

peduncles straight; NOT arcuate

bullet

involucre at least 6 mm high; NOT [involucre 4-5 mm high]

bullet

involucre NOT deep purple

bullet

involucre NOT glandular

bullet

involucre NOT densely villous, NOT woolly-villose

bullet

involucre hairs NOT with purple septa

bullet

heads with well developed ray florets; NOT [heads discoid or with short inconspicuous ray florets]

bullet

ray florets colored; NOT white

bullet

rays NOT yellow

 
bullet

Erigeron: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus. The answers do not match all species of Erigeron found in the Canadian prairies, but they do match this species.
bullet

juice watery; NOT milky

bullet

NOT [basal leaves mostly 1-6 cm long, linear to oblanceolate or spatulate, forming a dense rosette; plants with a well-developed taproot; and either densely caespitose, seldom more than 5 cm tall, the heads sessile among the leaves, or with stout, simple stems, 5-15 (25) cm tall, heads solitary, involucres 2-4 cm wide, bracts ciliate to pectinate or fimbriate, rays blue and achenes densely pubescent, obovate to triangular]

bullet

plants usually with leafy stems; NOT [plants low, stemless, tufted]

bullet

leaves NOT extending beyond flowers

bullet

leaves appearing before the flowers

bullet

leaves alternate or basal; NOT opposite

bullet

basal leaves NOT cordate, NOT sagittate

bullet

involucral bracts subequal or more or less imbricate, often green in part, but neither definitely leafy nor with chartaceous base and herbaceous green tip; NOT [involucral bracts either subequal and the outer leafy or more commonly evidently imbricate, with chartaceous base and evident green tip, sometimes chartaceous throughout]

bullet

bracts in 1 or 2 series; NOT [bracts in several series]

bullet

flower heads with florets both tubular and ray

bullet

ray florets pistillate or neuter; NOT perfect

bullet

ray florets conspicuous

bullet

ray florets 50 or more; NOT [ray florets 10-50]

bullet

rays white, to pink, purple or blue; NOT [yellow or orange]

bullet

stamens united to form a tube around the pistil

bullet

style-branches 0.5 mm long or less, or obsolete; NOT [style-branches ordinarily more than 0.5 mm long]

bullet

style-branches lanceolate or broader, acute to obtuse; NOT [style-branches lanceolate or narrower, acute or acuminate]

bullet

pappus of capillary bristles, at least in part; NOT [pappus of 1 or 2 short awns, a mere crown or none]

bullet

pappus composed of numerous hairs; NOT [pappus absent or composed of a few hairs]