TALL FLEABANE

Erigeron annuus

Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]

Flowers:
month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept

Pappus: pappusZpossible (white, simple, 1 row long hairs + 1 row short scales)
pappus8aug pappus8sep pappus8sept pappus8oct

status
statusZneophyte
flower
flower8white
flower
flower8yellow
inner
inner8yellow
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZMany
stem
stem8round
stem
stem8ribbed
sex
sexZbisexual

unknown date, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
A tall plant growing up to a metre.


29th Aug 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
The flowers are a medium 10-20mm across when fully opened up with white ray florets (ligules) being 4 to 10mm long.


29th Aug 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
Flower branches concentrated near the summit. Ray florets pinkish when unopened. There is a colour form with purplish-blue ray florets.


29th Aug 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
The disc florets are yellow and are form a concentrated circle about as wide across as the ray florets are long.


29th Aug 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
Leaves are stalkless and attach broadly directly to the stems but without clasping the stem.


29th Aug 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak


29th Aug 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak


29th Aug 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
Flower buds shaped like crown-green bowling bowls: oblate spheroids.


29th Aug 2014, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak


29th Aug 2014, unknown place Photo: © RWD


unknown date, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak


unknown date, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak


unknown date, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
The leaves of Tall Fleabane are stalkless and attach broadly directly to the stems but are not supposed to clasp the stem! (as they do here)


unknown date, unknown place Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
The stem leaves of Tall Fleabane are lanceolate to oblanceolate and only sparsely hairy, but are not supposed to clasp the stem! (as they do here). Stems round to ribbed, sometimes square.

A very similar plant, Robin's Plantain (Erigeron philadelphicus) does indeed have leaves which clasp the stem but of slightly differing shape: oblanceolate to narrowly obovate. Robin's Plantain grows mainly in Southern England and scattered in Britain to West Lancashire). Robin's Plantain has hairy leaves whereas Tall Fleabane has sparsely hairy leaves. The only other difference between the two species are that Tall Fleabane has flowers which are 10-20mm across whereas those of Robin's Plantain are slightly larger at 15 to 25mm across. These specimens have been confirmed to be of Tall Fleabane and not of Robin's Plantain.


Easily mistaken for : Robin's Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) [see the last two photographs of the stem leaves for the differences.

In addition, Robin's Plantain should not be semantically confused with : Robin's Pincushion [a wasp induced gall on Roses]

It has been confirmed by Mike Crewe that these are of Tall Fleabane (and not of Robin's Plantain). Tall Fleabane grows in waste places or rough ground on usually sandy soils and occurs mainly in Southern England but can also be found sporadically from Moray down south to Southern England.


  Erigeron annuus  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Asteraceae  

Distribution
 family8Daisy & Dandelion family8Asteraceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Erigeron
Erigeron
(Fleabanes)

TALL FLEABANE

Erigeron annuus

Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]