Erigerons have yellow disk flowers and numerous, narrow ray flowers that are white, pink, or purple (but not yellow).

     Linnaeus named this genus in 1753.  The genus name is from the Greek "eri" ("early") + "geron" ("old man", as in "geriatrics"), perhaps referring to characteristics of some now unknown plant or perhaps to the early flowering of many species and to the bristly pappus of the developing seed or to the puffy, grizzled appearance of the mature seed head.

Subalpine.  Meadows.  Summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, July 14, 2006.
La Plata Canyon, July 18, 2006.

Erigeron peregrinus, found in middle and high mountain meadows and open forests, 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 peregrinus 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. peregrinus 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.  Phyllaries also help distinguish this species; they are red-tinged (to varying degrees) and have short, fine, red-tipped hairs (the tiny dots edging the phyllaries in the close-up photograph at left).  Stems below the phyllaries have numerous, fine, long, white hairs.

"Peregrinus" means "wandering".  D. Nelson collected this plant in the early 1800s, it was named Aster peregrinus by Frederick Pursh in 1814, and Greene renamed it Erigeron peregrinus in 1897.

Subalpine.  Meadows.  Summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, July 14, 2006.

Compare the width of the ray flowers on this Erigeron with the other Erigerons shown on this web site.  The ray width is especially helpful in distinguishing E. peregrinus from E. speciosus which it resembles in many ways.

Subalpine, alpine.  Meadows.  Summer.
American Basin, July 24, 2007.

This is a fairly common Erigeron on rocky tundra.  It grows to just five inches tall yet has flower heads an inch across so it easily attracts your attention.  Look for it above tree-line on rocky outcrops.  The finely cut leaves and large flower heads are hallmarks.  It is found throughout the Colorado Rockies, in three northern counties in New Mexico, and is rare in just two southern counties in Wyoming. 

The plant was most likely collected on the Wheeler Exploring Expedition of 1873-1875 by Franz Wolf (1841-1924) and Dr. Joseph Rothrock (1839-1922, surgeon and botanist with the Wheeler Expedition, Professor of Botany at the University of Pennsylvania, and considered the father of Pennsylvania forestry).  In 1880 Asa Gray named this plant Erigeron compositus var. pinnatisectus.  In 1899 Aven Nelson renamed it Erigeron pinnatisectus.

Subalpine, alpine.  Meadows.  Summer.
American Basin, July 24, 2007.