About Erigeron compositus Pursh
Erigeron compositus Pursh is a perennial herb that rarely grows more than 25 cm (10 inches) tall. It forms a dense cluster of basal leaves with divided tips, grows a taproot, and spreads via horizontal underground rhizomes. Its leaves are often densely hairy, but may range all the way to being fully glabrous (hairless). Most stems produce only one flower head each. Each flower head holds 20 to 60 ray florets, which can be white, pink, or blue. These ray florets are sometimes small and easily confused with disc florets. The actual disc florets are yellow and located in the center of the flower head. The flower stem and bracts are covered in hairs, and are often glandular. Erigeron compositus has been recorded growing in the Russian Far East (Wrangel Island and Chukotka), Alaska, Greenland, across much of Canada (all three Arctic territories plus British Columbia, all three Prairie Provinces, Quebec, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia), and the Western United States (from the Pacific Coast eastward as far as the Dakotas, Colorado, and New Mexico). This species grows in rocky mountain areas at elevations up to 3,000 meters. It can grow in any ordinary garden soil, and prefers soil with good drainage.
