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Blue Fleabane
Erigeron acris
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Blue Fleabane is a small, short‑lived member of the daisy family. It carries many tiny, daisylike heads with very short, narrow outer petals and a yellow center. You can spot it in open, dry places such as rocks, dry meadows, roadsides and waste ground.
Did you know?
- Despite the name, the outer petals can be pinkish, bluish or white.
- There are several subspecies that mainly differ in stem hairiness and the color of the outer petals.
About the species
Identification
Usually 20–40 cm tall and one or two years old. The upright stem is often reddish-brown and may be hairless or softly hairy, branching near the top. Leaves are narrow and grey‑green from dense hairs; lower leaves have short stalks and are spoon‑shaped to narrow oval, upper leaves are stalkless and narrow with smooth edges. The flower heads form a loose cluster; each has a yellow center and very short, narrow outer petals that are pinkish‑blue to white. Seeds are small with a brownish, feathery tuft. Unlike true daisies, the outer petals are tiny, so the yellow center looks exposed. Flowers in Finland from June to August.
Plant group
Herbaceous plants
Habitat
rock, meadow, yards and roadsides
Flowering
Jun–Aug
About the habitat
Open, dry sites on poor soil: rocky outcrops, dry grasslands, sandy or gravelly ground, roadsides, pits and wasteland. Found across Finland; rather rare in the far north of Lapland. Native; common in the south and center.
Sources
Photo: Svitlana Kyiak, CC0 1.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6185417469
Text: Pinkka: Laaja maatalouslajintuntemus 4 op - Koppisiemeniset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39740
Text: Pinkka: BIO-513 Syventävä putkilokasvituntemus - Epipactis-Hieracium, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39740
Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karvaskallioinen
