Erigeron pygmaeus
Encyclopedia
Erigeron pygmaeus is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family
known by the common name pygmy fleabane, or pygmy daisy.
This wildflower is native to eastern California
and western Nevada
, where it grows in mountain forests, flats, and talus
. It is a very small daisy, not exceeding 6 centimeters in height. It forms clumps of hairy, glandular foliage with leaves under four centimeters in length. The inflorescence
holds a single small flower head
with dark phyllaries
and a corolla up to a centimeter wide. The center is filled with golden yellow disc florets and the ray florets are purple.
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
known by the common name pygmy fleabane, or pygmy daisy.
This wildflower is native to eastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and western Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, where it grows in mountain forests, flats, and talus
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
. It is a very small daisy, not exceeding 6 centimeters in height. It forms clumps of hairy, glandular foliage with leaves under four centimeters in length. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
holds a single small flower head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
with dark phyllaries
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
and a corolla up to a centimeter wide. The center is filled with golden yellow disc florets and the ray florets are purple.