Erigeron
| Fleabane | |
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| Erigeron glaucus, Seaside Daisy | |
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Erigeron
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Synonymy
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Erigeron (/ᵻˈrɪdʒərɒn/)[2] is a large genus of plants in the daisy family.[3] It is sometimes confused with other closely related genera, Aster and the true daisy Bellis. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution in dry, mountainous areas and grassland, with the highest diversity in North America.[3][4][5][6][7]
Contents
Etymology
Its English name, fleabane, is shared with related plants in several other genera. It appears to be derived from a belief that the dried plants repelled fleas [8] or that the plants were poisonous to fleas.[9] The generic name Erigeron is derived from the Greek (eri = early; geron = old man), a reference to the appearance of the white hairs of the fruit soon after flowering[10] or possibly alluding to the early appearance of the seed heads.[11] The Ancient Greek word γέρων is masculine,[12] so that specific epithets should have masculine endings (e.g. glaucus). However, authors have incorrectly used neuter endings (e.g. glaucum), as Augustin Pyramus de Candolle did in his 1836 account of the genus.[13]
Description
The species may be annuals, biennials or perennials. They are well-branched with erect stems, characterized by their numerous white, lavender or pink ray flowers and yellow disc flowers. Some members of this group have no ray flowers. The pappus (= modified calyx, forming a crown) is shorter than in Aster, and consists of bristles. The ray florets are narrower than in Aster, but are clearly longer than the involucre (= whorled bracts).
Cultivation
Many species are used as ornamental plants, with numerous named cultivars such as 'Wayne Roderick', 'Charity', 'Foersters Liebling' and 'Dunkelste aller' ("The darkest of all" with semi-double, deep violet flower heads).[14]
Ecology
Erigeron species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix angustata, Coleophora squamosella (which feeds exclusively on E. acris), Schinia intermontana, Schinia obscurata (both of which also feed exclusively on Erigeron), Schinia sexata (which feeds exclusively on E. glabellus) and Schinia villosa.
Selected species
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References
- ↑ Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 863-865 in Latin
- ↑ Tropicos, Erigeron L.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The Plant List, search for Erigeron
- ↑ Frances Perry wrote in Collins Guide to Border Plants (2nd edition, 1956) p.146 that it was reputed to repel insects but that the name referred to a tropical species which has a particularly strong odour
- ↑ see Oxford English Dictionary under 'Flea-bane' and under 'Bane' para 2.b. The earliest quotation cited in the O.E.D. is dated 1813 when Humphrey Davy in Elements of Agricultural Chemistry stated that the fleabane of Canada had only recently been found in Europe
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Frances Perry: Collins Guide to Border Plants 2nd edition (1956) p.145
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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