Ageratina gracilis

Native to Colombia, northwestern Venezuela and Ecuador, this perennial herb or small shrub grows in mountain grasslands and shrublands. Its slender stems are often reddish and may trail along the ground or scramble through surrounding vegetation. Clusters of small white flower heads form at the branch tips. Each head contains many tiny flowers, giving the clusters a fluffy appearance. Its seeds disperse on the wind, and seedlings have emerged from soil collected in recovering Colombian pine plantations. In Colombia, it occurs between about 5,600 and 13,450 feet. Photographed in the eastern Andes of Colombia.