Erigeron canadensis

Horseweed, Horseweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Horseweed is a California native annual found in disturbed places throughout the state at elevations generally below 2,300 meters. Flowering all year, this plant produces white to pink ray flowers in small heads less than 4 millimeters wide, arranged in panicle-like clusters. Growing with erect stems 20 to 200 centimeters tall, it is very leafy with branches spreading throughout the upper portion of the plant. Its leaves are linear to oblanceolate, ranging from 2 to 5 centimeters long, with entire or slightly toothed margins and sparse bristly hairs. The fruit is a small tan to light gray-brown seed topped with 15 to 25 white pappus bristles.

Habitat: Disturbed places

Bloom period: All year

Elevation: generally < 2300 m

Bioregions: CA

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