Philadelphia Fleabane
Erigeron philadelphicus
Click or tap the section titles below to learn more about this species!
CLASSIFICATION: What’s in a name?
Scientific Name: Erigeron philadelphicus. The genus Erigeron comes from two Greek words. Eri, meaning early, and geron, old man.5 Why do you think it was given such a curious name?
Common Name: Philadelphia Fleabane. The name Fleabane refers to a myth that the plant’s odor could repel fleas.5
Family: Asteraceae (Composite family). This is one of the largest plant families, with over 32,000 members! Members of this family are also known as composites, referring to their flower heads which comprise two types of flowers, ray and disk florets. Disk florets are small flowers which are grouped tightly together in the center of the head, while ray florets resemble petals and are arranged around the margins. Some members of this family have both types of flower, while others have just one (for example, dandelions have flower heads that consist entirely of ray flowers!).1 The yellow center of a daisy is a dense cluster of disk florets, and the white “petals” are ray florets. Can you think of any other plants with composite flowers?
IDENTIFICATION: What does it look like?
Average Height: 12-24 inches
Description: A biennial or perennial wildflower, often forming colonies. The leaves are largest at the base of the plant, and are oval, widest just beyond the middle, and have several rounded teeth on the margins. At the base of the leaf where it attaches to the stem, there are two small earlike lobes, so that it appears to be clasping the stem. The stems are upright and hollow, with scattered hairs. The daisy-like flowers are composite, with yellow disk florets and many white to pale pink, very narrow ray florets. They are borne in flat-topped clusters atop the stems. Seeds are wind-dispersed, with a parachute-like pappus similar to dandelions.
Bloom time: Mar – Jun
Notes: This species is quite similar to Annual Fleabane (E. annuus) but can easily be distinguished by its hollow stems.1 In addition, Philadelphia Fleabane tends to bloom earlier and is more likely to have pink ray florets.
LOCATION: Where is it at home?
Range: Widespread in Virginia, found commonly across the western half of the state, less frequently eastward.1 Its North American range is quite large, spanning from Ontario to Florida and west to the Pacific, excluding the Rockies and desert regions.2
Geology/Soil: Most typically found in soils weathered from nutrient-rich rocks, or in sandy alluvial deposits. Prefers moist soils, but can be found in dry soils if they are suitably calcium-rich (such as those weathered from shell or limestone).
Habitat: Moist fields, roadsides, lawns, floodplain forests, rich slope forests, trail edges.6,7
CONNECTIONS: What are its relationships to other plants, animals, and humans?
Flora associations: This species can be found growing with a wide variety of others characteristic of moist, sunny, disturbed habitats, including common blue violet (Viola communis), wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia), beaked corn-salad (Valerianella radiata), eastern woodland sedge (Carex blanda), and golden ragwort (Packera aurea).
Fauna associations: Fleabanes serve as a larval host plant for the lynx flower moth (Schinia lynx), wavy-lined emerald moth (Synchlora aerata), and Speyer’s cucullia moth (Cucullia speyeri). The flowers are a valuable nectar source for a wide array of early-flying native bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies.4
Human associations: This species has been used by Indigenous people across North America for millennia. Some of its uses include as an herb in smoking tobacco mixtures, as a cold and cough remedy, and to induce miscarriage.3,5
We want these plants to thrive and for everyone who gets to visit the park to enjoy them, so remember – don’t pick flowers or other parts of the plant!!
Bibliography & Definitions
1 Weakley, A.S., J.C. Ludwig, and J.F. Townsend. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Bland Crowder, ed. Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project, Inc., Richmond. Fort Worth: Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press, , pp. 1155-1157.
2 “2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas. TaxonMaps.” Bonap.net, bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Erigeron. Accessed 16 May 2024.
3 “BRIT – Native American Ethnobotany Database.” Naeb.brit.org, naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=erigeron+philadelphicus. Accessed 16 May 2024.
4 Hilty, John . “Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron Philadelphicus).” Www.illinoiswildflowers.info, www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/ph_fleabanex.htm. Accessed 16 May 2024.
5 ,Immel, Diana, and M. Kat Anderson. Plant Guide PHILADELPHIA FLEABANE Erigeron Philadelphicus L. Plant Symbol = ERPH. 2001.
6 LeGrand, Harry , et al. “Vascular Plants of North Carolina.” Ncparks.gov, 2019, auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/plant_list.php.
7 Virginia Botanical Associates. “Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora | Erigeron Philadelphicus L. Var. Philadelphicus.” Www.vaplantatlas.org, www.vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=2060&search=Search. Accessed 16 May 2024.
Definitions:
Composite: A member of the Asteraceae.
Disk floret: One of the small, tubular flowers clustered in the center of a composite flower like a daisy or sunflower.
Ray floret: The petal-like flowers forming the outer ring of flowers in a composite flower.
Pappus: A parachute-like appendage attached to the seeds of some composites, aiding in wind dispersal. Dandelion seeds are a familiar example.
Biennial: A plant that completes its reproductive cycle in two years, flowering the second year and dying after setting seed.