Erigeron pygmaeus

Pygmy fleabane

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Pygmy fleabane is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada mountain ranges in rocky subalpine and alpine habitats at elevations of 2,900 to 4,100 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces blue or purple flowers in small heads about 15 to 20 millimeters wide, with 20 to 37 delicate ray flowers. Growing as a tiny, densely clustered herb only 1 to 6 centimeters tall with an extremely compact form, it emerges from a short-branched caudex with a taproot. Its leaves are primarily basal, narrow and linear to oblanceolate, 6 to 35 millimeters long, with rough surfaces and ciliate edges. The plant's involucre is notable for its purple-black phyllaries with stiff spreading hairs, giving it a distinctive appearance in its high-altitude alpine environment.

Habitat: Rocky sites, subalpine forest to alpine talus

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2900-4100 m

Bioregions: SNH, SNE

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