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Erigeron subglaber
(Pecos fleabane)
[taxon report][distribution map][photos][line drawing]
Family: Asteraceae
Scientific Name: Erigeron subglaber Cronquist
Synonyms: None
Vernacular Name: Pecos fleabane
R-E-D Code: 2-1-3
Description: Low perennial; stems 3-8 cm tall, nearly hairless; leaves to 6 cm long, sparsely hairy mostly along the margins; basal leaves broader above the middle; stem leaves smaller than the basal and often linear; flower heads solitary on each stem; involucral bracts smooth and often purplish at the tip; ray flowers 25-35, purplish or bluish; achenes 2-nerved, somewhat hairy; pappus of sordid capillary bristles. Flowers in August and early September.
Similar Species: Erigeron leiomerus differs in having glandular involucral bracts and generally broader leaves.
Distribution: New Mexico, northwestern San Miguel and central Taos counties, Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Habitat: Rocky, open meadows in subalpine coniferous forest; 3,050-3,500 m (10,000-11,500 ft).
Remarks: Narrowly endemic and sporadically distributed on some high ridges and peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The largest known concentration of this species is on the Elk Mountain Ridge of the southern Pecos Wilderness. A specimen from Wheeler Peak (Taos County) is atypical and tentatively placed within this species.
Conservation Considerations: A radio tower and associated road have slightly impacted one of the larger populations of this plant. Most other populations are in remote wilderness areas where there are no threats to its habitats.
Important Literature (*Illustration):
Cronquist, A. 1947. A revision of the North American species of Erigeron north of Mexico. Brittonia 6(2):121-302.
*Ivey, R.D. 1995. Flowering plants of New Mexico, 3rd edition. Published by author, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
*New Mexico Native Plants Protection Advisory Committee. 1984. A handbook of rare and endemic plants of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
Information Compiled By: Robert Sivinski, 1998
Agency Status:
