Erigeron compositus (Compound Fleabane) - photos and description
Ray florets are often nearly absent as shown in above photograph
Flower head on right with no ray florets.
General: Plants with a low tufted growth habit. Foliage densely pubescent, grey green in colour. Early flowering, beginning early May.
Flowers: Flowers with white ray florets and yellow disks, flower heads to 1 cm in diameter. Flower heads occasionally with no ray florets. Scapes leafless, pubescent, scapes measured to a height of 9 cm.
Leaves: Leaves are basal, twice divided into 3 linear leaflets. Leaves to 9 mm long including petiole, entire leaf to 8 mm wide.
Height: Height is listed in Budd's Flora to 15 cm. We've measured plants to 9 cm tall.
Habitat: Hillsides, badlands, gravelly ridges on Saskatchewan's southern prairie.
Abundance: Rare, ranked as an S3 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
Origin: Native.
When and where photographed: Above photos taken May 7th and May 16th Buffalo Grass Eco Reserve, 200 km south east of Regina, May 11th, May 19th, and May 23rd in the Cypress Hills, 450 km south west of Regina, and May 30th East Block of Grasslands National Park, 300 km south west of our home in Regina, SK.