Home/Species/ White Cushion Fleabane

Erigeron disparipilus

Cronq.

White Cushion Fleabane

G3Vulnerable Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G3VulnerableGlobal Rank

High - mediumThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.141266

Element CodePDAST3M150

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderAsterales

FamilyAsteraceae

GenusErigeron

Other Common Names

white cushion fleabane (EN)

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2023-05-31

Change Date2023-05-31

Edition Date2023-05-31

Edition AuthorsEberly (2023)

Threat ImpactHigh - medium

Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences21 - 80

Rank Reasons

Erigeron disparipilus is a perennial herb that occurs in the northwestern United States in northeastern Oregon, southeastern Washington, and western Idaho. There may be over 50 occurrences. Threats are reported for some occurrences and include fire, grazing by wild animals and livestock, non-native plant species, and recreation. Herbarium work is needed to confirm the reported identifications on specimens in Idaho. More information on threats and trends are needed from Idaho.

Range Extent Comments

Erigeron disparipilus occurs in the northwestern United States in northeastern Oregon (Wallowa County), southeastern Washington (Asotin, Columbia, Garfield Counties), and western Idaho. There is some uncertainty in the identifications of specimens in southern Idaho. In addition, some populations in that region may be hybrids between Erigeron nanus and E. disparipilus indicating that hybridization occurs (FNA 2006b). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1992 and 2023 (GBIF 2023, NatureServe 2023).

Occurrences Comments

There are nine extant occurrences in Oregon and 12 in Washington. There are between 18 and 30 occurrences in Idaho (SEINet 2023).

Threat Impact Comments

This species is threatened by grazing livestock and associated trails, grazing wild ungulates, competition with non-native plant species, fire, and which can degrade habitat, cause mortality to plants, or disrupt growth and reproduction cycles (NatureServe 2023).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs on rocky and gravelly substrates of ridges and slopes, in grassland and sagebrush, at elevations ranging from 600 to 2,200 meters (FNA 2006b).

Terrestrial Habitats

Shrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceous

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN3

Province	Rank	Native
Oregon	S2	Yes
Idaho	S3	Yes
Washington	S2	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Restricted - small	Serious - slight	High (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching	Restricted - small	Serious - slight	High (continuing)
2.3.4 - Scale unknown/unrecorded	Restricted - small	Serious - slight	High (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Small (1-10%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activities	Small (1-10%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
7 - Natural system modifications	Restricted (11-30%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppression	Restricted (11-30%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
7.1.1 - Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Restricted (11-30%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Restricted (11-30%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Restricted (11-30%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (4)

Washington (4)

Area	Forest	Acres
Asotin Creek	Umatilla National Forest	16,433
Meadow Creek	Umatilla National Forest	4,882
Mill Creek Watershed (WA)	Umatilla National Forest	16,747
Willow Springs	Umatilla National Forest	10,414

References (5)

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 20. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 7: Asteraceae, part 2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxii + 666 pp.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2023. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2023).
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2023. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2023).

Erigeron disparipilus

Habitat

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