spreading fleabane

Erigeron divergens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name spreading fleabane. It is native to western North America.

This plant is highly variable in form. It is an annual or perennial herb growing from a taproot and sometimes a caudex. It produces one to many stems 7 to 70 centimeters (3 to 27+1⁄2 inches) tall. It is a hairy plant, and the hairs are usually glandular, at least near the top of the stem. The basal leaves are 1 to 7 cm (1⁄2 to 3 in) long, and leaves higher on the stem are smaller. Flowering from April to September, the inflorescence can hold over 100 flower heads, each about 2.5 cm (1 in) wide. The heads have 75 to 150 ray florets not more than 1 cm long which are white in color, fading purple, and sometimes absent. There are many yellow disc florets at the center. The fruit is seed-like and about 1 millimeter (1⁄16 in) long with bristles on the tip.