Erigeron speciosus

Clusters of leafy stems rise from the woody rootstock. Each stem bears several showy, nearly 2” wide flower heads with from 70-150 blue, or rarely white, narrow rays. A leafy stem branches near the top into leafless stalks, each with one flower head at the end, with many narrow pink, lavender or white rays surrounding a yellow disc. The disc flowers are yellow-orange. The lower leaves of this plant tend to fall off as the season advances. This Erigeron has one of the showiest heads, reflected in the species name, speciosus, which means “pretty.