Food
Nunaraqpait
Erigeron spp.
young plants are edible when boiled.
young plants are suitable as a potherb.
the variety in Nunavut is Eastern daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus).
grows in fields, disturbed areas, open woods, thickets and roadsides .
warning: may cause miscarriages and should not be consumed by pregnant women.
warning: may cause dermatitis.
source
There are three species of fleabanes in Nunavut: dwarf mountain
fleabane or cut leaf fleabane (E. compositus), alpine Arctic fleabane
(E. humilis), and one-flowered fleabane (E. uniflorus subsp.
eriocephalus). The last two species are similar and sometimes grow
together in the same environment.
Fleabane has both ground-level and
underground vertical stems, and when its
leaves die back in the winter, the short stem
at ground-level stores food, particularly
sugars, in the same way a tree that loses
its leaves in the autumn stores food for
regrowth the following season. Think of it
this way. The plant makes food in the leaves
over the summer, and then caches it in the
stem over the winter. Growing close to the
ground helps keep Arctic plants out of the
dry Arctic winds, which tend to suck the
moisture out of plants.
Erigeron compositus occurs on northern
Baffin Island, some of the High Arctic
Islands, and further to the west. E. humilis
occurs mostly on Southern Baffin Island,
Southampton Island, and the mainland. If
you spot a fleabane while up on Ellesmere
Island or on Victoria Island, more than
likely you are seeing E. uniflorus. Of course
there is some overlap, and on the mainland,
on Southampton Island, and around Iqaluit,
both species occur. These two plants look
quite similar, although E. uniflorus is
generally a little larger. Also its ray flowers
are more purple than white. However, the
easiest way to tell them apart is to look at
their hairs. E. humilis’s hairs have a purple
tinge, while E. uniflorus’s definitely look
white. It is useful to have a hand lens.
source
Photo:#00 One-flowered fleabane
Erigeron uniflorus
Nunaraqpait
#01 Nunaraqpait
Cut leaf fleabane
dwarf mountain fleabane
cut leaf daisy
Erigeron compositus
