Threenerve Fleabane
Erigeron subtrinervis
Threenerve Fleabane (Erigeron subtrinervis) is a native perennial with many thin purple to lavender rays around a yellow center. In the Black Hills it blooms in late summer, July and August at Jewel Cave, in meadows and open pine and mixed forest from low to mid elevations. Photographed in the Black Hills.
| Family | Asteraceae · Aster |
|---|---|
| Status | Native perennial |
| Blooms | July and August |
| Height | Up to 90 cm (36 in) |
| Where | Meadows and open pine and mixed forest |
| Also called | Three-nerved Fleabane, Three-nerved Daisy |
| Synonym | Erigeron glabellus var. mollis, Erigeron speciosus var. mollis, Erigeron subtrinervis ssp. typicus |
How do you identify Threenerve Fleabane?
Look for heads with 100 to 150 thin rays, far more than an aster's, in pale purple to lavender around a yellow center. Each leaf has 3 veins, the center one strongest, with fine hairs along the edges and on both faces. Showy Fleabane is almost identical, but its leaves have hairs only along the edges.
When does it bloom?
July and August.
Where does it grow?
Meadows and open pine and mixed forest from low to mid elevations in the Black Hills. Elsewhere it grows at forest edges, in woodland openings and on roadsides in mountain country.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: Forest Service, Black Hills National Forest: Black Hills Native Plants; National Park Service, Jewel Cave: Wildflowers; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Erigeron subtrinervis; Southwest Colorado Wildflowers: Erigeron subtrinervis; The American Southwest: Erigeron subtrinervis; SDSU Open PRAIRIE: Erigeron speciosus var. macranthus.