W67 



WILD-DAISIES 



Eri'geron spp., syn. Lep'tilon spp. 



Erigeron, a member of the aster tribe of the composite family 

 (Compositae), is a large genus of annual, biennial, or perennial herbs 

 with numerous small flowers in heads which have the appearance 

 of a single flower. Plants of this genus are commonly known as 

 fleabanes, daisies, and erigerons; the source of the name fleabane 

 is from the supposed value of some species as flea repellants. Pre- 

 sumably, when burned, at least some species of Erigeron were objec- 

 tionable to insects; formerly bunches of the plants were hung in 

 rural cottages for the purpose of excluding insects. However, the 

 true fleabanes are European plants of other related genera, especially 

 Pulicaria, and C&nyza. Daisy (or English daisy) is the accepted 

 common name of the frequently cultivated, Old World plant, Bellis 

 perennis, and, moreover, is popularly and rather loosely applied not 

 only to species of Erigeron, but to asters {Aster spp.), oxeye daisy 

 (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) , and other plants with similar 

 flower heads. In the West, daisy is almost universally used for 

 species of Erigeron and, although the English generic name wild- 

 daisy is not entirely satisfactory, it seems much preferable, at least 

 from the range standpoint, to the rather inappropriate fleabane, 

 even though that name is widely used in the East and in the horti- 

 cultural trade. Erigeron, an old Greek plant name used by Dio- 

 scorides and Theophrastus, reputedly was applied originally to 

 some species of groundsel (Senecio). 



This genus is widely distributed in temperate and mountainous 

 regions and is particularly well represented in the western United 

 States, where probably more than 100 species occur, Colorado being 

 the center of distribution. The wild-daisies occur in nearly all kinds 

 of soils and in practically all plant types throughout the West. 



The palatability of the wild-daisies varies from practically worth- 

 less to about fair or, in some instances, good. They are more palat- 

 able to sheep and goats than to cattle, but are practically worthless 

 for horses. Generally, those species with very hairy foliage are less 

 palatable than the hairless species, and presumably are cropped to 

 a greater extent on ranges where the forage is predominantly browse 

 or grass, especially if such areas are used by sheep. Deer and elk 

 also crop the wild-daisies. However, the majority of these plants 

 are poor forage species, actually being nothing more than "weeds" 

 and occupy space which, preferably, should be utilized by more 

 palatable plants. Wild-daisies have undoubtedly increased on many 

 areas which have 'been severely overgrazed. 



The flower heads of wild-daisies are generally composed of center 

 (disk) flowers with yellow tubular corollas, which do not change 

 to purple, and usually numerous, petallike outer (ray) flowers with 

 pink, bluish, purplish, or white, narrow, strap-shaped corollas. The 

 ray flowers are rarely yellow or orange and in a few species are 

 entirely absent. The flower heads are usually borne on leafless 

 stalks. The bracts surrounding the base of the flower heads are 



