The Erigeron strigosus Muhl. Ex Willd (Asteraceae) species complex is composed of late spring to early summer herbs that are widespread in North America. Many populations of this complex are polyploid and apomictic, but studies have identified sexual diploid populations specializing on glade habitats throughout the southeastern United States, several of which have been described as new species. Two unusual Erigeron populations were recently discovered in Jackson Co., western North Carolina: one on an olivine outcrop that displays distinct morphological and phenological variation from other E. strigosus, and a second on a high-elevation, mafic rock outcrop that is taller, has more stems, and is rhizomatous. Plants from both populations were confirmed to be sexually reproducing diploids based on megagametophyte development and phylogenetically distinct from each other based on nrDNA ITS and ETS regions. However, additional genetic and environmental information was needed to determine whether these populations constitute different species from each other and from similar diploid populations elsewhere. The primary objective of this study was to determine the species status of two unusual populations of Erigeron in WNC by comparing them both to one another and to similar glade populations in Arkansas. Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLP) provide an efficient system for genetic fingerprinting, and AFLP fingerprints for each plant sample were generated for analysis to compare to diploid populations in AR and confirm initial sequence data results. Genetic distance data from AFLPs and morphological data collected in the field and from a greenhouse common garden experiment indicate distinct groupings of WNC populations. Additionally, we collected soil pH and nutrient data and measured reproductive and vegetative morphological traits on plants from populations of interest in western North Carolina to further analyze the variation found among populations in this complex. Variation in plant height, basal leaf size, and hair characters appear to be distinctive within this population. These methods have provided valuable insight into genetic, environmental, and morphological differences across populations and geographic localities, in tandem indicating an undescribed species of Erigeron in Webster, NC.