This is an introduced species, it originates from the west coast of America, California where it is a coastal species found on beaches and dunes. It is a low growing perennial with large daisy flowers, and despite its somewhat warmer origins it is hardy in the UK.
There are several varieties grown in gardens in the UK and from there it has escaped. However the version which I have seen seems to be related to or derived from a garden variety known as ‘Sea Breeze’ . This is fairly new on the scene, it has quite large flowers 4.2 cm to 4.5 cm in diameter and has ray florets (outer petals) which are pink to mauve and a very yellow central disc. It is quite stunning.
This variety was discovered in Cheshire in 1992 growing from seeds produced by the original variety called ‘Four Winds’ the following year it was propagated by cuttings and was then registered as a specific breed in 1999. This is the one which I have seen both in gardens and in the wild. I suspect it is this variety which is the one you are most likely to come across and which is resulting in the rapid spread in the wild. It is found all round the coast and sometimes inland. Its main concentrations are on the Suffolk coast, South coast, Cornwall and South Wales, inland it is most likely to be found along the Thames valley region.
Coastal Wild flowers 