Erigeron (humilis)

Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Asteraceae
Family Common Name:	Sunflower family
Scientific Name:	Erigeron humilis Graham.
Common Synonym:	Erigeron unalaschensis Vierh.
Common Name:	Arctic-alpine daisy
Species Code:	ERIHUM
Ecotype:	Alpine scree slopes, southeastern British Columbia
General Distribution:	E. humilus is a North American boreal species that reaches its southern most limit in Glacier National Park. It is found in talus and scree slopes above treeline.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml conetainers
Time To Grow:	9 Months
Target Specifications:	Height: 6 to 10 true leaves, 1.5 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: Firm plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are hand collected in late August when achenes separate easily from the receptacle. Seedsare collected in paper bags and kept in well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are hand cleaned at the nursery. Seed longevity is unknown. Seed dormancy is classified as non-deep physiological dormancy. Seeds/Kg: 1,980,000/kg % Purity: 100% % Germination: 55%
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seeds are placed into an outdoor 150 day cold, moist stratification.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Outdoor nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are lightly covered with medium. Growing medium used is milled sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per 160 ml conetainer. Conetainers are filled and sown in late fall and irrigated thoroughly prior to winter stratification.
Establishment Phase:	Seeds germinate uniformly in 10 to 15 days when day temperatures reach 22C during the day. Germination to true leaf stage is 35 days. Root development is very rapid during this stage. After seedlings are well established, they must dry down between irrigations.
Length of Establishment Phase:	4 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	The root system will fill containers in as little as 8 weeks following establishment. Shoot growth is minimal the first year and appears as a small, compressed rossette of leaves less than 1.5 cm tall. The plants are fertilized with 20-20-20 liquid NPK at 100 ppm occasionally.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	12 weeks
Hardening Phase:	Plants are fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK at 200 ppm in early fall; pots are flushed with water, irrigation is gradually reduced through September and October.
Length of Hardening Phase:	4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest: 9 months Harvest Date:September Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor shadehouse under insulating foam and snow.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	E. humilis produces a small rossette of leaves and an expansve root system. Most growth is allocated into the root system the first year and seedlings fill containers 8 weeks after germination. Plants held over in the nursery were flowering 13 months after germination.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitcock and Cronquist, Univ. of Washington Press, 7th printing, 1990. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Edition, Deno, Norman, Penn. State University, publ.1993. Glacier Park Native Plant Nursery Propagation Records, unpublished. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, National Park Service, Hassell, Wendel, April 1996.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Erigeron humilis Graham. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/20). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.