Erigeron acris L.
Bitter fleabane
Blue fleabane is a slender native annual or biennial, usually reaching about 30-50cm, that starts as a low rosette of greyish, softly hairy leaves before throwing up an erect, often reddish, hairy stem. The flowerheads are narrow and rather understated: tight clusters of small daisies whose short, erect ray florets are a soft pale lilac to mauve-blue, surrounding a yellowish centre.
About
Blue fleabane is a slender native annual or biennial, usually reaching about 30-50cm, that starts as a low rosette of greyish, softly hairy leaves before throwing up an erect, often reddish, hairy stem. The flowerheads are narrow and rather understated: tight clusters of small daisies whose short, erect ray florets are a soft pale lilac to mauve-blue, surrounding a yellowish centre. It is easily overlooked but charming at close quarters.
It is a plant of dry, open, well-drained ground, much commoner on the lime-rich soils of southern England than further north. Typical haunts include chalk and limestone grassland and outcrops, sand dunes, old quarries, sand and gravel pits, railway ballast, waste heaps and the tops of old walls, where there is little competition. Flowering in July and August, it offers nectar and pollen to bees, hoverflies and small butterflies, and suits hot, sparse, free-draining spots in dune, brownfield or calcareous meadow plantings.
Also known as
Blue Fleabane · bitter boreal daisy · bitter daisy
Synonyms
Erigeron acris fuscomarginatus · Trimorpha acris acris
Beta — under active development. This catalogue is still being built and accuracy-checked. The information here (including plant identifications, British native status, soil and sun/shade preferences) is provided in good faith for general guidance only and may contain errors or omissions. It must not be relied upon on its own — please confirm details with us before making planting, specification, foraging or purchasing decisions, and never eat or medicinally use any plant based on this catalogue alone, as some species are toxic. To the extent permitted by law, Phoenix Amenity Supplies accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of this information.