Leaf
Hectonichus, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mexican fleabane
Erigeron karvinskianus DC.
Also known as: Mexican daisy, Wall daisy, Spanish daisy
Family: Asteraceae
15 to 30 cm tall
Walls, low walls, rock gardens, gardens, poor free-draining soils
Flowering: May – November
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to -10°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its flowers change colour from white to pink as they age, giving a two-tone effect on a single clump. Canadian fleabane is an upright plant with a single stem branching profusely at the top, with tiny, inconspicuous flower heads, whereas Mexican fleabane forms low spreading clumps with clearly visible flower heads with white-pink rays.
🍃 Leaves
Small, lanceolate, slightly hairy, bright green
🌸 Flowers
Small white daisies turning pink as they age, very numerous
🍎 Fruits
Achenes topped with a pappus
🪵 Bark
Low trailing stems, spreading habit
🗺️ Distribution
Native to Mexico; widely naturalised on old walls in the south and west of France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Small white-pink flower heads rich in nectar, visited by bees and hoverflies all summer.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Low walls, rock gardens, cracks in paving; very long and abundant flowering, self-seeds freely.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Mexican fleabane
Erigeron karvinskianus
Canadian fleabane
Erigeron canadensis
Canadian fleabane is an upright plant with a single stem branching profusely at the top, with tiny, inconspicuous flower heads, whereas Mexican fleabane forms low spreading clumps with clearly visible flower heads with white-pink rays.
🌿 Other Asteraceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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