Table 2. Morphological characters of Erigcron species utilized for multivariate statistical analysis. 



Quantitative characters: 



Perennating organ length and width 5 mm below ground level 

 Caudex branches -- total number, no. of perpendicular branches, 



and no. of decumbent branches 

 Flowering stems -- number, height of tallest, and 



width 5 mm below involucre 

 Number of flowering heads/stem 

 Number of cauline leaves 

 Basal leaves - length and width of longest leaf and 



length and width of widest leaf 

 Involucre width and height 

 Outermost phyllary length and width 

 Number of phyllary rows 

 Ray florets — ligule length and width, number of florets, and 



number of notches per ligule apex 

 Disk florets — corolla length and wadth 

 Disk floret achenes - number of pappus brisdes, pappus height, 



length and width, number of ribs 



Qualitative characters: 



Taproot ~ presence/absence 

 Flowering stems — decumbent, ascending, or both, 

 bases red/purple or not, 

 presence of villous trichomes, 

 presence of strigose trichomes, 

 presence of glandular trichomes 

 Cauline leaves - shape same as basal, more linear than basal, spatulate, or lanceolate 

 margins undulate or not 



extend less than or greater than halfway up stem 

 presence of strigose trichomes 

 presence of villous trichomes 

 presence of glandular trichomes 

 Basal leaf shape -- presence of linear leaves 



presence of narrowly oblanceolate leaves 

 presence of oblanceolate leaves 

 presence of spatulate leaves 

 Involucre indumentum — presence of woolly appearance 

 presence of villous trichomes 

 presence of strigose trichomes 

 presence of glandular trichomes 

 Phyllaries recurved or not 

 Ray floret ligule color when dried ~ blue/purple 



pink 

 white 



same fresh as dried or not 

 Ray floret ligules held obliquely to involucre or more right-angled 



