Erigeron compositus

Cut-leaf fleabane

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Cut-leaf fleabane is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, high Cascades, Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, Warner Mountains, and eastern Sierra Nevada in rocky slopes, crevices, and talus at elevations of 2,000 to 4,300 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces white to pale pink or lavender ray flowers in small heads with approximately 30 to 60 rays. Growing as a compact, low-growing herb 3 to 15 centimeters tall with a stout taproot and dense, ascending branches, it forms tightly clustered mats. Its primarily basal leaves are intricately divided, with oblanceolate to spoon-shaped blades that are 1 to 5 centimeters long, typically cut into two or three segments and densely covered with fine glandular hairs. The plant's stems are unbranched, densely glandular, and sometimes sparsely covered with soft bristles, giving it a delicate, intricate appearance in its high-elevation alpine and subalpine habitats.

Habitat: Rocky slopes, crevices, talus

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: 2000-4300 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH, CaRH, SNH, SnBr, Wrn, SNE

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