Description
Alice Eastwood’s fleabane can steal the show in high mountain meadows when blooming en masse, although, even a single flowering plant is attractive to pollinators and people alike. This species is a perennial wildflower that is native to western Washington, western Oregon, and northwestern California where it inhabits meadows, rocky ridges, talus slopes, prairies and open forest, primarily at higher elevations (4,000′-7,000′), including the subalpine zone. A member of the Asteraceae or daisy family, Alice eastwood’s fleabane grows from a fibrous, rhizomatous root system, with green leaves and white, pink, or lavender flowers with a yellow center. Bloom time depends on elevation and moisture availability, but ranges between June to September. It generally grows around 1′ – 2 1/2′ tall. Alice eastwood’s fleabane prefers full sun to part shade and medium moisture. It will rebloom after deadheading, providing a long season of flowers for the many pollinators that are attracted to the flowers.
Although first “discovered” in the Siskiyou Mountains in 1900 by Thomas Howell, this species was named for acclaimed American botanist Alice Eastwood who lived between 1859-1953, and was procurator and Head of the Department of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. This species is sometimes referred to as Alice’s fleabane, or Alice’s daisy, for short.
Alice Eastwood was a very important botanist during her time. Her lasting legacy lives on in the many species named after her, as well as her prolific writing and enduring work at the Academy. Stories about her include this one from the Wikipedia page about her life:
“Eastwood was credited with saving the Academy’s type plant collection after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Departing from the curatorial conventions of her era, Eastwood segregated the type specimens from the main collection. This classification system permitted her, upon entering the burning building, readily to retrieve nearly 1500 specimens.”
Alice Eastwood’s fleabane (Erigeron aliceae) seed packets contain approximately 160 seeds per packet.
Seed Germination Instructions: No pretreatment required. Sow outside in fall to early spring.
