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Erigeron tener

Gray

Tender Fleabane

G4Apparently Secure Found in 6 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.147152
Element CodePDAST3M410
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderAsterales
FamilyAsteraceae
GenusErigeron
Other Common Names
slender fleabane (EN) Slender 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 Date2025-05-21
Change Date1988-05-16
Edition Date2025-05-21
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Erigeron tener is a perennial herb occurring in rocky habitats, along ridgetops, talus, cliffs, and crevices of shrublands and conifer forests and woodlands of western North America, from Oregon south to California, east to Arizona, and north to Wyoming and Montana in the United States. There are an estimated 122 occurrences of this taxon, which are potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way construction and maintenance, livestock grazing, invasive species, recreation, drought, and other threats in some places. Threats, trends, and abundance of this species are not well documented, and monitoring populations is important to improving our understanding of the status of Erigeron tener.
Range Extent Comments
Erigeron tener occurs in western North America, from Oregon south to California, east to Arizona, and north to Wyoming and Montana in the United States (FNA 2006). Range extent was estimated to be over 700,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1984 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1984 and 2025, it is estimated that there are 122 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Erigeron tener is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way construction and maintenance, livestock grazing, invasive species, recreation, drought, and other threats in some places.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Slender Fleabane is a perennial with 1-few stems that are 3-15 cm tall, arising from a taproot and woody rootcrown. Foliage is covered by short hairs. The basal leaves have a pointed leaf blade 7-25 mm long tapering at the base to the leaf stalk. Stem leaves are linear and few. The daisy-like, flowering heads are 1-3 on the stem. Involucral bracts are 3.5 mm long, finely glandular, and usually with short, spreading hairs. The 15-40 rays are blue or sometimes purple, 4-8 mm long and 1-1.7 mm wide. The achenes have 15-30 inner bristles about as long as the disk corollas, and outer bristles are obscure or wanting.

Habitat

Erigeron tener occurs in "rocky or gravelly habitats, often in talus, cliff ledges, crevices, or along ridgetops, in Atriplex, sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, yellow pine, bristlecone pine, limber pine, or spruce" from 1700-3400 m in elevation (FNA 2006).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - ConiferWoodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparralBare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
UtahSNRYes
ArizonaSNRYes
NevadaS4Yes
OregonS2Yes
WyomingS2Yes
MontanaS2Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
IdahoSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (6)
California (4)
AreaForestAcres
Chineese Camp (CA)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,339
Devil's Gate (CA)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest9,946
Heart LakeLassen National Forest9,349
Mt. EddyShasta-Trinity National Forest7,232
Nevada (2)
AreaForestAcres
Currant - East SlopeHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest10,101
Ruby - Lamoille CynHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest32,771
References (7)
  1. 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.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  3. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  4. 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.
  5. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).