Erigeron philadelphicus (Common fleabane)

Erigeron philadelphicus L.

Common fleabane, Philadelphia fleabane

Common fleabane is native to North America.

Plants: Up to 3′ (1 m) high, with ribbed stems covered with soft white hairs. The hairs grow outward from the stem, rather than lying against it as with some species.

Leaves: A basal rosette of leaves consists of a spatula-shaped leaves up to 4 ⨉ 1″ (10 ⨉ 3 cm). The leaves have coarse serrations and may be rounded or pointed at the tip. They may be lance-shaped, but show a wide range of shapes. Leaves higher on the stem usually clasp the stem.

Flowers: Pale pink, sometimes white, up to ½–¾″ (1.3–1.9 cm) around, with 100-300 petals (more than any other fleabane) and a yellow central disk. The petals are so fine that they often look a bit disheveled, like windblown hair. They flower from April to June.

Fruits: Achenes (seeds) have tiny parachutes (pappi), like those of dandelions

Habitats: Moist soils at the edges of fresh bodies of water, waste areas, fields, roadsides.

Similar fleabanes.

Edibility: Not edible. May cause a contact dermatitis in some individuals.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

CalPhotos at the University of California, Berkeley

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Plants for a Future

The USDA Plants Database

Www.calflora.org

Flora of North America

References:

Peterson, Roger Tory, McKenny, Margaret, Peterson Field Guides: Wildflowers—Northeastern and North Central North America, Houghton Mifflin, 1968, p. 308

Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown and Company, 1977, p. 382

5/21/2026 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia · ≈ 3½ × 3½″ (9.4 × 8.8 cm)

7/7/2012 · Gibbet Hill, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

4/8/2012 · North Central Railroad Trail, Monkton Rd, Sparks, Maryland · ≈ 4½ × 3½″ (11 × 9.1 cm) ID is uncertain

6/22/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts

7/7/2012 · Gibbet Hill, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 2½″ (10 × 7.3 cm) ID is uncertain

4/8/2012 · North Central Railroad Trail, Monkton Rd, Sparks, Maryland · ≈ 3½ × 3½″ (9.2 × 8.9 cm) ID is uncertain

5/25/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)

4/8/2012 · North Central Railroad Trail, Monkton Rd, Sparks, Maryland · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

5/21/2026 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

4/8/2012 · North Central Railroad Trail, Monkton Rd, Sparks, Maryland · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

6/22/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Asterales	Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies
Family	Asteraceae	The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers
Genus	Erigeron	From Greek eri, “early,” and geron, “old man,” for the fluffy white seed heads and early flowering
Species	philadelphicus	“From Philadelphia”

About plant names...

Range: Zones 2-7:

About this map...

Erigeron philadelphicus description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.