Erigeron

Fleabane
	Erigeron glaucus, seaside daisy
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Asteroideae
Tribe:	Astereae
Subtribe:	Conyzinae
Genus:	Erigeron; L.
Diversity
	Around 460 species
Synonyms
	Synonymy Astradelphus J.Rémy ; Polyactis Less. ; Dimorphanthes Cass. ; Fragmosa Raf. ; Woodvillea DC. ; Stenactis Cass. ; Terranea Colla ; Conyzoides Fabr. ; Trimorpha Cass. ; Eschenbachia Moench ; Brachyactis Ledeb. ; Musteron Raf. ; Heterochaeta DC. 1836, illegitimate homonym not Besser 1827 (Poaceae) ; Polyactidium DC. ; Wyomingia A.Nelson ; Fimbrillaria Cass. ; Trimorphaea Cass. ; Phalacroloma Cass. ; Asterigeron Rydb. ; Achaetogeron A.Gray ; Gusmania J.Rémy ; Diplemium Raf. ;

Erigeron (/ɪˈrɪdʒərɒn/)^[4] is a large genus of plants in the composite family (Asteraceae).^[5] It is placed in the tribe Astereae and is closely related to the Old World asters (Aster) and the true daisies (Bellis). The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, and the highest diversity occurs in North America.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]

Etymology

Its English name, fleabane, is shared with related plants in several other genera. It appears to be derived from a belief that the dried plants repelled fleas^[10] or that the plants were poisonous to fleas.^[11] The generic name Erigeron is derived from the Ancient Greek words ἦρι (êri) "early in the morning" and γέρων (gérōn) "old man", a reference to the appearance of the white hairs of the fruit soon after flowering^[12] or possibly alluding to the early appearance of the seed heads.^[13] The noun γέρων is masculine,^[14] so that specific epithets should have masculine endings (e.g. glaucus) to agree with it. However, authors have incorrectly used neuter endings (e.g. glaucum), because the ending -on resembles the ending of Ancient Greek neuter second declension nouns, as Augustin Pyramus de Candolle did in his 1836 account of the genus.^[15]

Description

The species may be annuals, biennials, or perennials. They are well-branched with erect stems, characterized by their numerous white, lavender, or pink ray flowers and yellow disc flowers. Some members of this group have no ray flowers. The pappus (=modified calyx, forming a crown) is shorter than in Aster and consists of bristles. The ray florets are narrower than in Aster but are longer than the involucre (=whorled bracts).

Cultivation

Many species are used as ornamental plants, with numerous named cultivars such as 'Wayne Roderick', 'Charity', 'Foersters Liebling', and 'Dunkelste aller' ("The darkest of all" with semi-double, deep-violet flower heads).^[16]^[17]

Ecology

Erigeron species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix angustata, Coleophora squamosella (which feeds exclusively on E. acris), Schinia intermontana, Schinia obscurata (both of which also feed exclusively on Erigeron), Schinia sexata (which feeds exclusively on E. glabellus) and Schinia villosa. Above-ground biomass of Erigeron in montane meadows decreases with decreased water availability/increased temperatures.^[18]

Selected species

As of 2020^[update] Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Plants of the World Online lists around 460 species of plants in the genus Erigeron.^[2] Selected species include:

Erigeron abajoensis – Abajo fleabane
Erigeron acomanus – Bluewater fleabane
Erigeron aequifolius – Hall's fleabane, Hall's daisy
Erigeron algidus – stalked fleabane
Erigeron aliceae – Alice Eastwood's fleabane
Erigeron allocotus – Big Horn fleabane
Erigeron alpinus – alpine erigeron
Erigeron anchana – Sierra Ancha fleabane
Erigeron annuus – eastern daisy fleabane
Erigeron aphanactis – rayless shaggy fleabane
Erigeron arenarioides – sand fleabane
Erigeron argentatus – silver fleabane
Erigeron arisolius – Arid Throne fleabane
Erigeron arizonicus – Arizona fleabane
Erigeron asperugineus – Idaho fleabane
Erigeron atticus - Greek fleabane
Erigeron aurantiacus – orange daisy
Erigeron aureus – alpine yellow fleabane
Erigeron barbellulatus – shining fleabane
Erigeron basalticus – basalt fleabane
Erigeron bellidiastrum – western daisy fleabane
Erigeron bigelovii – Bigelow's fleabane
Erigeron biolettii – Biolett's erigeron
Erigeron blochmaniae – Blochman's erigeron
Erigeron bloomeri – Scabland fleabane
Erigeron bonariensis - horseweed
Erigeron breviscapus – life flower
Erigeron breweri – Brewer's fleabane
Erigeron caespitosus – tufted fleabane
Erigeron canadensis – Canadian horseweed
Erigeron canus – hoary fleabane
Erigeron cascadensis – Cascade fleabane
Erigeron cervinus – Siskiyou fleabane
Erigeron chrysopsidis – golden daisy/fleabane
Erigeron clokeyi – Clokey's fleabane
Erigeron compactus – fern-leaf fleabane
Erigeron compositus – cut-leaf fleabane
Erigeron concinnus – Navajo fleabane
Erigeron consimilis – foothill fleabane
Erigeron coulteri – large mountain fleabane
Erigeron cronquistii – Cronquist's fleabane
Erigeron cuneifolius – wedge-leaf fleabane
Erigeron darrellianus – Darrell's fleabane
Erigeron decumbens – Willamette fleabane
Erigeron disparipilus – white cushion fleabane
Erigeron divergens – spreading fleabane
Erigeron eatonii – Eaton's fleabane
Erigeron elatior – tall fleabane
Erigeron elegantulus – blue dwarf fleabane
Erigeron engelmannii – Engelmann's fleabane
Erigeron evermannii – Evermann's fleabane
Erigeron eximius – spruce-fir fleabane
Erigeron filifolius – thread-leaf fleabane
Erigeron flabellifolius – fan-leaf fleabane
Erigeron flagellaris – trailing fleabane
Erigeron flettii – Flett's fleabane
Erigeron foliosus – leafy fleabane
Erigeron formosissimus – beautiful fleabane
Erigeron garrettii – Garrett's fleabane
Erigeron geiseri – Geiser's fleabane
Erigeron glabellus – streamside fleabane
Erigeron glaucus – beach aster, beach daisy, seaside daisy
Erigeron goodrichii – Uinta Mountain fleabane
Erigeron gracilis – quill fleabane
Erigeron grandiflorus – large-flower fleabane
Erigeron heliographis – Heliograph Peak fleabane
Erigeron hessii – Hess' fleabane
Erigeron howellii – Howell's fleabane
Erigeron humilis – arctic-alpine fleabane
Erigeron hyssopifolius – hyssop-leaf fleabane
Erigeron inornatus – California rayless fleabane
Erigeron jamaicensis – Jamaica fleabane
Erigeron jonesii – Jones' fleabane
Erigeron kachinensis – Kachina fleabane
Erigeron karvinskianus – Latin American fleabane
Erigeron kuschei – Chiricahua fleabane
Erigeron lanatus – woolly fleabane
Erigeron lassenianus – Mt. Lassen fleabane
Erigeron latus – broad fleabane
Erigeron leibergii – Leiberg's fleabane
Erigeron leiomerus – rockslide yellow fleabane
Erigeron lemmonii – Lemmon's fleabane
Erigeron linearis – desert yellow fleabane
Erigeron lobatus – lobed fleabane
Erigeron lonchophyllus – shortray fleabane
Erigeron maguirei – Maguire's fleabane
Erigeron mancus – depauperate fleabane
Erigeron maniopotamicus – Mad River fleabane
Erigeron melanocephalus – Black-head fleabane
Erigeron miser – starved fleabane
Erigeron miyabeanus – Japanese fleabane
Erigeron modestus – plains fleabane
Erigeron muirii – Muir's fleabane
Erigeron multiceps – Kern River fleabane
Erigeron multiradiatus – Himalayan fleabane
Erigeron nanus – dwarf fleabane
Erigeron nauseosus – Marysvale fleabane
Erigeron nematophyllus – needle-leaf fleabane
Erigeron neomexicanus – New Mexico fleabane
Erigeron ochroleucus – buff fleabane
Erigeron oreganus – gorge fleabane
Erigeron oreophilus – chaparral fleabane
Erigeron ovinus – sheep fleabane
Erigeron oxyphyllus – wand fleabane
Erigeron parishii – Parish's fleabane
Erigeron peregrinus – wandering fleabane
Erigeron petrophilus – cliff fleabane, rock daisy
Erigeron philadelphicus – Philadelphia fleabane/daisy
Erigeron pinnatisectus – feather-leaf fleabane
Erigeron piperianus – Piper's fleabane
Erigeron piscaticus – Fish Creek fleabane
Erigeron poliospermus – purple cushion fleabane
Erigeron pringlei – Pringle's fleabane
Erigeron procumbens – Corpus Christi fleabane
Erigeron pubescens – hairy fleabane
Erigeron pulchellus – Robin's plantain
Erigeron pulcherrimus – basin fleabane
Erigeron pumilus – shaggy fleabane
Erigeron purpuratus – purple fleabane
Erigeron pygmaeus – pygmy fleabane
Erigeron quercifolius – oak-leaf fleabane
Erigeron radicatus – tap-root fleabane
Erigeron religiosus – Clear Creek fleabane
Erigeron rhizomatus – Zuni fleabane
Erigeron roylei – Royle's fleabane
Erigeron rybius – royal fleabane
Erigeron rydbergii – Rydberg's fleabane
Erigeron salishii – Star Peak fleabane
Erigeron salmonensis – Salmon River fleabane
Erigeron sanctarum – saints fleabane
Erigeron saxatilis – rock fleabane
Erigeron sceptrifer – scepter-bearing fleabane
Erigeron scopulinus – Winn Falls fleabane
Erigeron sionis – Zion fleabane
Erigeron speciosus – aspen fleabane
Erigeron strigosus – prairie fleabane
Erigeron subglaber – hairless fleabane
Erigeron subtrinervis – three-nerve fleabane
Erigeron sumatrensis – Guernsey fleabane
Erigeron supplex – supple fleabane
Erigeron tenellus – Rio Grande fleabane
Erigeron tener – slender fleabane
Erigeron tenuis – slender-leaf fleabane
Erigeron thunbergii – Thunberg's fleabane
Erigeron tweedyi – Tweedy's fleabane
Erigeron uintahensis – Uinta fleabane
Erigeron uncialis – lone fleabane
Erigeron uniflorus – one-flowered fleabane
Erigeron untermannii – Indian Canyon fleabane
Erigeron ursinus – Bear River fleabane
Erigeron utahensis – Utah fleabane
Erigeron vagus – rambling fleabane
Erigeron vernus – early white-top fleabane
Erigeron versicolor – Sonora fleabane
Erigeron vetensis – early blue-top fleabane
Erigeron watsonii – Watson's fleabane
Erigeron wilkenii – Wilken's fleabane
Erigeron yukonensis – Yukon fleabane

The following names are not accepted as of 2020^[update] in Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Plants of the World Online database:^[2]

Erigeron acer – blue fleabane
Erigeron corymbosus – long-leaf fleabane
Erigeron greenei
Erigeron hultenii – Hulten's fleabane

References

^ Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Species plantarum: exhibentes plantas rite cognitas ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas (in Latin). Vol. 2. Berlin: Junk. p. 863.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Erigeron L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
^ Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
^ Sunset Western Garden Book (6th ed.). Sunset Books. 1995. pp. 606–607. ISBN 978-0-376-03850-0.
^ ^a ^b Nesom, Guy L (2006), "Erigeron", Flora of North America, vol. 20, New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 256
^ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 863-865 in Latin
^ Tropicos, Erigeron L.
^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1-4053-3296-5.
^ The Plant List, search for Erigeron
^ Frances Perry wrote in Collins Guide to Border Plants (2nd edition, 1956) p.146 that it was reputed to repel insects but that the name referred to a tropical species which has a particularly strong odour
^ see Oxford English Dictionary under 'Flea-bane' and under 'Bane' para 2.b. The earliest quotation cited in the O.E.D. is dated 1813 when Humphry Davy in Elements of Agricultural Chemistry stated that the fleabane of Canada had only recently been found in Europe
^ Hyam, R. & Pankhurst, R.J. (1995). Plants and their names: a concise dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-19-866189-4.
^ Frances Perry: Collins Guide to Border Plants 2nd edition (1956) p.145
^ γέρων in Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, revised and augmented throughout by Jones, Sir Henry Stuart, with the assistance of McKenzie, Roderick. Oxford: Clarendon Press. In the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University.
^ de Candolle, Augustin Pyramus (1836). "Erigeron". Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis. pp. 283–296. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
^ Perry, Leonard. "Erigeron". pss.uvm.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-12-05. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
^ "RHS Plant Selector - Erigeron 'Dunkelste Aller'". Retrieved 17 July 2013.
^ de Valpine, Perry; Harte, John (March 2001). "Plant Responses to Experimental Warming in a Montane Meadow". Ecology. 82 (3): 637–648. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2001)082[0637:PRTEWI]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0012-9658.

[linnaeus1753-1] Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Species plantarum: exhibentes plantas rite cognitas ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas (in Latin). Vol. 2. Berlin: Junk. p. 863.

[powo-2] "Erigeron L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 December 2020.

[3] Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist

[4] Sunset Western Garden Book (6th ed.). Sunset Books. 1995. pp. 606–607. ISBN 978-0-376-03850-0.

[flora-5] Nesom, Guy L (2006), "Erigeron", Flora of North America, vol. 20, New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 256

[6] Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 863-865 in Latin

[7] Tropicos, Erigeron L.

[RHSAZ-8] RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1-4053-3296-5.

[9] The Plant List, search for Erigeron

[10] Frances Perry wrote in Collins Guide to Border Plants (2nd edition, 1956) p.146 that it was reputed to repel insects but that the name referred to a tropical species which has a particularly strong odour

[11] see Oxford English Dictionary under 'Flea-bane' and under 'Bane' para 2.b. The earliest quotation cited in the O.E.D. is dated 1813 when Humphry Davy in Elements of Agricultural Chemistry stated that the fleabane of Canada had only recently been found in Europe

[12] Hyam, R. & Pankhurst, R.J. (1995). Plants and their names: a concise dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-19-866189-4.

[13] Frances Perry: Collins Guide to Border Plants 2nd edition (1956) p.145

[14] γέρων in Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, revised and augmented throughout by Jones, Sir Henry Stuart, with the assistance of McKenzie, Roderick. Oxford: Clarendon Press. In the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University.

[15] Candolle, Augustin Pyramus (1836). "Erigeron". Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis. pp. 283–296. Retrieved 2014-02-11.

[perry-16] Perry, Leonard. "Erigeron". pss.uvm.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-12-05. Retrieved 6 December 2020.

[17] "RHS Plant Selector - Erigeron 'Dunkelste Aller'". Retrieved 17 July 2013.

[18] Valpine, Perry; Harte, John (March 2001). "Plant Responses to Experimental Warming in a Montane Meadow". Ecology. 82 (3): 637–648. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2001)082[0637:PRTEWI]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0012-9658.

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