Erigeron algidus

Sierra fleabane, Sierra Fleabane

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sierra fleabane is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in alpine meadows and talus slopes at elevations of 2,600 to 3,700 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces white to lavender ray flowers 7 to 13 millimeters long, which curl when dry, arranged in solitary heads 8 to 16 millimeters wide. Growing with compact stems 2 to 20 centimeters tall, it emerges from a short, thick, strongly fibrous-rooted caudex with unbranched stems that are sparsely and loosely spreading-hairy. Its basal leaves are oblanceolate to spoon-shaped, measuring 2 to 7 centimeters long, while cauline leaves are much reduced and strigose or somewhat bristly. The plant's distinctive involucre has phyllaries that are nearly equal in length with black-purple edges and spreading hairs.

Habitat: Alpine meadows, talus

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2600-3700 m

Bioregions: SNH, SNE (exc W&ampI)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.