Shaggy fleabane flowers - May
near Lake Roosevelt

Shaggy fleabane - Erigeron pumilus
with white flowers and shaggy foliage, Lake Roosevelt

Shaggy fleabane - Erigeron pumilus
near Sun Lakes

Shaggy fleabane flower with syrphid fly

Shaggy fleabane is so named in the belief its leaves are a bane, or poison, to fleas. Its genus, Erigeron, is derived from Greek words for old man, and spring. The species has inch-long rays colored white or lavendar, and its relatively narrow leaves are covered with short, stiff hairs, and tall stems. Compare to the related purple cushion fleabane.