Cushion Fleabane, Hairy-seeded Daisy, Kittitas Fleabane, Purple Cushion Fleabane: Erigeron poliospermus var. poliospermus

Cushion fleabane is a spring blooming perennial wildflower that is a low cushion plant to 15 cm high. Plants are covered with numerous spreading hairs mixed with some glands in variety poliospermus, or more glandular in variety cereus. The basal leaves are linear-oblanceolate to spatulate, and somewhat hairy. They measure up to 8 cm long and 12 mm wide. Any stem leaves that are present are slightly to strongly reduced in size.

The flower heads are solitary on stems which are barely longer than the leaves. Each head has up to 15-45 pink to violet ray flowers surrounding a yellow central disk which is generally less than 20 mm in diameter. The rays are each 5-14 mm long and 1.3-3.6 mm wide. The involucre ranges from 5-9 mm tall and covered by numerous spreading hairs.

Dry open habitats in the lowlands east of the Cascade Mts. Cushion fleabane is frequently found near sagebrush.

Cushion fleabane is found east of the Cascade Mountains from south-central British Columbia through central Washington into Idaho and central Oregon.

In the Columbia River Gorge, cushion fleabane is found between Dallesport, WA and Horsethief Butte State Park between the elevations of 200'-400'.

Additional close-ups of cushion fleabane as seen along Sixprong Road between Alderdale Road and the Roosevelt Grade Road in eastern Klickitat County...............April 25, 2010. A few lavender-rayed cushion fleabanes can be seen around this location in south-central Washington, but the majority have white or cream-colored rays. Note here that several plants (photographed about 3 miles west of Alderdale Road) have canary-yellow rays which are the first this author has ever seen for this species.

Cushion fleabane growing atop basalt outcrops near Washington Highway SR 14 at MP 115.5 in the eastern Columbia River Gorge...................April 18, 2010.

Cushion fleabane blooming along Washington Highway 14 about one mile east of Roosevelt, Washington...............May 3, 2012.

Cushion fleabane blooming on gravel and ash roadcuts along Washington Highway 14 near MP 142.................May 11, 2011.