In 1753 Linnaeus gave the genus its name from the Greek "eri" ("early") + "geron" ("old man", as in "geriatrics", the study of old age processes and problems).  Perhaps the Greek name refers to characteristics of some now unknown plant or perhaps it refers to the early flowering of many species and to the bristly pappus of the developing seed, or perhaps to the puffy, grizzled appearance of the mature seed head.

Montane, subalpine.  Meadows.  Summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, July 14, 2006, La Plata Canyon, July 18, 2006, and Winter Trail, July 10, 2009.

Erigeron peregrinus (now E. glacialis), is found in middle and high mountain meadows and open forests.  It has flowers that range from very light lavender (almost white sometimes) to deeper lavender or pink/purple.  As is true for many flowers, the petal color, length, and width of Erigeron peregrinus flowers and flower parts depend on the maturity of the flower.  The picture below of two flowers on the same plant shows how much ray flower length, width, and color depend on the age of the flower.

E. peregrinus is most quickly distinguished from other Erigerons by its 2-3 millimeter wide ray flowers, twice as wide as those of other Erigerons   --  as observed in mature flowers.  E. peregrinus possesses another unusual characteristic: it spreads from underground roots and sends up hundreds of basal rosettes of leaves close to each other in meadows and open woods.  These rosettes might be confused with those of Oreochrysum parryi.  Just a few of the rosettes of these two plants send up flowering stems.    

Montane, subalpine.  Meadows.  Summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, July 14, 2006.

Phyllaries also help distinguish this species; their tips are red-tinged (to varying degrees) and they have short, fine, red-tipped glandular (sticky) hairs (the tiny dots edging the phyllaries in the close-up photograph at left).  Stems below the phyllaries have numerous, fine, long, white hairs.  The glandularity separates E. glacialis from E. peregrinus.  The two overlap in range in the Pacific Northwest into Alaska, but south and east from there into Montana and New Mexico (see the range map below), the only species is Erigeron glacialis.

D. Nelson collected this plant in Unalaschka (in the Aleutian Islands) in the early 1800s and it was named Aster peregrinus by Joseph Banks in Frederick Pursh's 1814 Flora Americae Septentrionalis.  Greene renamed it Erigeron peregrinus in 1897. 

In 1841 Thomas Nuttall gave the name Aster glacialis to a plant he collected in Wyoming; in 1904 Aven Nelson renamed this plant Erigeron glacialis.

"Peregrinus" means "wandering". 

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Erigeron glacialis

Range map for Erigeron peregrinus