Erigeron formosissimus is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common name beautiful fleabane.
Erigeron formosissimus is native to the western United States. It has been found in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, the Black Hills of South Dakota, eastern Idaho, and southern Montana.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
Erigeron formosissimus is a perennial herb up to 55 centimeters (22 inches) in height, spreading by means of underground rhizomes. It produces 1-6 flower heads per stem, each head as many as 150 white, pink, purple, or blue ray florets surrounding numerous yellow disc florets.Flora of North America, Erigeron formosissimus Greene, Beautiful fleabane Greene, Edward Lee 1898. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 25(3): 121 description and commentary in EnglishGreene, Edward Lee 1898. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 25(3): plate 332, figures 3 + 4 line drawing of Erigeron formosissimus
Varieties Erigeron formosissimus var. viscidus (Rydberg) Cronquist - Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wyoming Erigeron formosissimus var. formosissimus - Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah
References
External links Photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in New Mexico in 1897, isotype of Erigeron formosissimus