Erigeron breweri
Brewer's fleabane
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jim Morefield · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Erigeron breweri (Brewer's fleabane) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by Fleabane spreading from a slender rhizome-like caudex; stems evenly leafy (no basal tuft), short reflexed bristles, glandless.
Brewer's fleabane is a California native perennial found in rocky, open habitats of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains at elevations of 1,500 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white to lavender or pink flowers with ray petals 4 to 7 millimeters long that turn bluish when dry. Growing with prostrate to ascending stems 15 to 75 centimeters tall, it has a woody, slender rhizome-like caudex covered in short, reflexed bristly hairs. Its leaves are linear to oblanceolate, 5 to 40 millimeters long, evenly spaced along the stem and covered in bristly hairs. The flower heads are arranged in clusters of 1 to 5, with involucres 8 to 15 millimeters wide and densely covered in minute glandular hairs.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Fleabane spreading from a slender rhizome-like caudex; stems evenly leafy (no basal tuft), short reflexed bristles, glandless.
How to tell it apart
vs Bellis: Erigeron has double-layered pappus (outer scales + inner bristles); Bellis completely lacks pappus.; vs Symphyotrichum: Erigeron has double pappus (2 layers); Symphyotrichum has single layer of uniform bristles.; vs Corethrogyne: Erigeron has simple unbranched stems; Corethrogyne has branched stems.; vs Pseudognaphalium: Erigeron has flat button-like flower heads; Pseudognaphalium has woolly clustered heads without rays.; vs Artemisia: Erigeron has obvious ray petals around yellow disk; Artemisia lacks ray petals entirely.
Frequently asked questions
Is Erigeron breweri native to California?
Yes. Erigeron breweri is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Erigeron breweri belong to?
Erigeron breweri is in the Asteraceae family, genus Erigeron.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.