Arctic Alpine Fleabane

Perennials 2–15(–25) cm; rhizomatous, fibrous-rooted, rhizomes or caudices simple or branched. Stems erect, villoso-hirsute (hair cross walls dark to blackish purple), minutely glandular (conspicuously so proximal to heads). Leaves mostly basal (persistent) and cauline; blades spatulate to spatulate-oblanceolate, 10–50(–80) × 2–7(–11) mm, cauline abruptly reduced distally, margins entire, faces sparsely to moderately villous (hair cross walls dark reddish or purple), sometimes sparsely minutely glandular. Heads 1. Involucres 6–9 × 10–15(–20) mm. Phyllaries in (1–)2(–3) series (usually dark purple), strigoso-hirsute (hair cross walls dark reddish to blackish purple), minutely glandular. Ray florets 50–100(–150); corollas bluish purple to lavender, rarely whitish, 4–6 mm, laminae erect (filiform, 0.3–1 mm wide), not coiling or reflexing. Disc corollas 2.4–3 mm. Cypselae 2.2–2.5 mm, plump, 2-nerved, faces finely strigoso-hirsute; pappi: outer of setae (inconspicuous), inner of 20–30 bristles. 2n = 36.

Erigeron unalaschkensis (de Candolle) Vierhapper; E. uniflorus Linnaeus var. unalaschkensis (de Candolle) Ostenfeld

Erigeron humilis is an arctic and alpine species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known as Arctic Alpine fleabane. It is widespread across the colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, it has been found in Alaska, much of Canada, Greenland, and the Rocky Mountains of the United States as far south as Colorado. In Eurasia, it has been found in Scandinavia (including Iceland), and the Chukotka region in the Russian Far East.

Erigeron humilis is a perennial herb up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) tall, spreading by means of underground rhizomes. Each plant generally produces only one flower head, with sometimes as many as 150 blue or purple ray florets surrounding numerous yellow disc florets.