Erigerons have yellow disk flowers and numerous narrow ray flowers that are white, pink, or purple (but not yellow).  They grow from the semi-desert to the subalpine regions and although a few are uncommon, most are very common.

      In 1753 Linnaeus gave the genus its name from the Greek "eri" ("early") + "geron" ("old man", as in "geriatrics", the study of old age processes and problems).  Perhaps the Greek name refers to characteristics of some now unknown plant or perhaps it refers to the early flowering of many species and to the bristly pappus of the developing seed, or perhaps to the puffy, grizzled appearance of the mature seed head.

Montane, subalpine.  Meadows.  Summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, July 14, 2006, La Plata Canyon, July 18, 2006, and Winter Trail, July 10, 2009.

What once was called Erigeron peregrinus in the Four Corners area (and in most western states) is properly called E. glacialis. (See discussion  and maps below.)  

E. glacialis is found in middle and high mountain meadows and open forests.  It has flowers that range from very light lavender (almost white sometimes) to deeper lavender or pink/purple.  As is true for many flowers, the petal color, length, and width of Erigeron glacialis flowers and flower parts depend on the maturity of the flower.  The picture below of two flowers on the same plant shows how much ray flower length, width, and color depend on the age of the flower.

E. glacialis is most quickly distinguished from other Erigerons by its 2-3 millimeter wide ray flowers, twice as wide as those of other Erigerons   --  as observed in mature flowers.  E. glacialis possesses another unusual characteristic: it spreads from underground roots and often sends up hundreds of basal rosettes of leaves in meadows and open woods.  These rosettes might be confused with those of Oreochrysum parryi.  Just a few of the rosettes of these two plants send up flowering stems.    

Montane, subalpine.  Meadows.  Summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, July 14, 2006.

Erigeron glacialis stems below the phyllaries have numerous, fine, long, white hairs.  E. glacialis phyllary tips are red-tinged (to varying degrees) and they have short, fine, red-tipped glandular (sticky) hairs (the tiny dots edging the phyllaries in the close-up photograph at left).  The glandularity not only sets E. glacialis apart (usually) from other Erigerons, it also separates E. glacialis from E. peregrinus. 

Range also separates E. glacialis and E. peregrinus: E. peregrinus was discovered in Unalaschka and E. glacialis was discovered in Wyoming.  The two species overlap in range from the Pacific Northwest into Alaska, but south and east from there into Montana and New Mexico (see the range map below), the only species is Erigeron glacialis.

Both plants were discovered early in the 19th century:  D. Nelson collected a plant in Unalaschka (in the Aleutian Islands) in the first years of the 19th century and it was named Aster peregrinus by Joseph Banks in Frederick Pursh's 1814 Flora Americae Septentrionalis.  In 1897 Edward Greene renamed this plant Erigeron peregrinus.

In 1841 Thomas Nuttall gave the name Aster glacialis to a plant he collected in Wyoming (probably in the early 1830s); in 1904 Aven Nelson renamed this plant Erigeron glacialis.

"Peregrinus" means "wandering". 

Erigeron glacialis.  Synonym: Erigeron peregrinus.  (Daisy).
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Montane, subalpine.  Meadows.  Summer.
Lone Cone, August 9, 2011.

E. glacialis commonly is found in patches of dozens of flowers scattered over a small area.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color KeySpecies present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Erigeron glacialis

Range map for Erigeron peregrinus