Those Damn Daisies!

Day 311: The botanical equivalent of the birder's "LBJ" (Little Brown Job) or "LBG" (Little Grey Bird) is expressed somewhat more emotionally. We deal with "Damn Daisies." The Asteraceae (formerly Compositae) is the largest family of plants in the world with a membership numbering close to 24,000. Of course this includes a diversity of appearances, but if you see something which looks daisy-like...well, it's a Damn Daisy.

I have used the popular terminology many times over the last week as I tried to sort out just which Damn Daisy this mini-model was. I sent it off to Arnie, who by way of response sent me a photo of chicken-of-the-woods fungus and a note, "Mine are easier to identify than yours." It was back to the drawing board for me, and late Friday evening, I sent Arnie an exultant email: "Erigeron acris, suspect it's var. debilis!" I'm sure he'll be glad the mystery was laid to rest when he sees it Monday morning.

The ray flowers of this species are noted for being very narrow, and the plant is quite small, standing no more than 8" in height. The flower is approximately 1/2" in width, and may be white or pale lavender. The pappus (modified calyx) extends beyond ("surpasses") the central disk flowers. The common name reflects a term applied to a number of different Asteraceae: Bitter Fleabane, but its folkloric reputation for repelling fleas is a myth.