Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud
 
     
   6 Aug 2026      ()
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Erigeron bonariensis   (Flax-Leaved Fleabane)


Erigeron bonariensis  (ASTERACEAE.) 
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.


Website launch: Oct-2002   Taxonomic update: Aug-2026    Code update: Jul-2026

Page Contents + Links

 
General Information Species Images
External Links Support and sales
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Sponsors & Adverts Copyright notes
Detailed species profile
Asteraceae Index Plant Family Index
 
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Datasheet Publication: Oct-2007 (last update: Sep-2022)
Citation for this page Mifsud, S. (2007). Online Flora of the Maltese Islands (2002-2026): Erigeron bonariensis - datasheet published on Oct-2007. Retrieved on 06-Aug-2026 from https://www.MaltaWildPlants.com/ASTR/#ASTR

Nomenclature and General Information

Species name :

Erigeron bonariensisL.
Published in Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 2: 323. (1822)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Leptilon bonariense Small
Synonym that was used for long in Malta: Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronquist
Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [WFO] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Asteraceae Bercht. & J.Presl (The Daisy or Sunflower Family) Previously included in Compositae
123 species from the Asteraceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Flax-Leaved Fleabane, Hairy Fleabane, Asthmaweed

Maltese name(s) :

Żagħżigħa selvaġġa

Status for Malta :

Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World) and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations. Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly.

Frequency :

Very Common     Common    Frequent    Scarce     Rare    Very rare    Extinct

Growth form :

Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Therophyte ( annual plants, herbaceous, die after fruiting/seeding stage )

Legal Protection :

Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

April – November

Colour of Flowers:

Green or Inconspicuous

Toxicity:

Not particularly toxic

Name Derivation :

bonariensis: originating from Buenos Aires in Argentina. (Latin origin)

Planting in rural areas :

Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines


Description, Habitat and Distribution
Botanical Description Annual, 30-250 cm long, densely hairy. Leaves numerous, narrow, the lower up to 10 x 1 cm, oblanceolate, petiolate, often deciduous, the others linear, at least the upper sessile. Inflorescence sometimes with elongate branches overtopping the main axis; capitula often 1 cm or more wide; involucre 4-6 mm, hirsute throughout, rarely glabrous or nearly so (var. leiotheca (Blake) Cuatrec.); female florets 50-120 or more; ligules up to 0.5 mm, shorter than the style and usually also than the pappus.
Habitat in Europe Cultivated ground and waste places.
Preferred habitat in Malta Mostly in urban and semi-rural areas such as roadsides, cracks in the pavement, curbs of flagstones, parks and old gardens, waste ground, dumping sites, stone piles, rubble walls, abandoned fields, farms and field margins
Chromosome number(s) 2n=36, 54
Distributional range Naturalized in the Mediterranean region and S. W. Europe.
Native region outside Europe (Tropical America.)

Distributional maps from various sources
Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993)
Introduced in Albania, the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part)
Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
  Country codes  
[Ab(A) nAE(G) nAg nAl Az(C F G J L M P S T) Be(B) Bl nBl(I M N) nBr nBu Ca(C F G H L P T) Cg nCo nCr aCs nCt nCy Eg Ga(C) nGa(F) nGe Gg nGr He nHo nHs(G S) nIJ nIr nIt Jo nJu nLe Li nLS nLu nMa nMd(M P) Mk aPo Rf(CS) nSa Si(M) nSi(S) Sl Sn aSu nSy Tn nTu(A E)]

Links & Further literature (0 papers)

Google Web

Google Images

Google Scholar

Research Gate

Wikipedia

JSTOR

GBIF

Med Checklist

Cat. of Life

EoL

IPNI

World Flora Online

Plants of the World Online

Vienna Virt. Herb.

RBGE Herbarium

KEW Herbarium

MNHN

Garden Database

IUCN

TROPICOS
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.

Species Images (40 images)
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-0.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-1.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-2.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-3.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-4.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-5.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-6.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-7.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-8.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-9.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-10.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-11.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-12.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-13.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-14.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-15.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-16.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-17.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-18.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-19.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-20.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-21.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-22.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-23.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-24.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-25.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-26.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-27.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-28.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-29.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-30.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-31.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-32.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-33.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-34.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-35.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-36.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-37.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-38.
   Erigeron bonariensis   -   Image Code: EGRBO-39.

Sales and Donations
Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta:  Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).

How it works:  First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.

Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Contribute Information or Report Errors
Use this form to submit additional information about this species or to report any inaccuracies on this webpage. If the information you provide is sourced from a book, journal, website, or any other publication, rather then your own information or experience, then please include the relevant reference or web address whenever possible. Your email address will be used solely for internal communication and will not be shared. We greatly appreciate reports of: taxonomic updates;   species misidentifications;   incorrect or outdated information,   broken links,   technical website issues,   or any additional information specific to the plant in this webpage.

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Section A:  Additional Information about this plant species
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Reference of published material:
 
Section B:   Where have you seen this plant on the Maltese Islands?
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