Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)
- Family: Aster (Asteraceae)
- Flowering: April-June.
- Field Marks: Philadelphia fleabane has some of its
leaves clasping and about 100 very narrow pinkish or white rays
per head.
- Habitat: Meadows, along streams, roadsides, ditches.
- Habit: Perennial herb with creeping stolons.
- Stems: Erect, sometimes branched, usually hairy, up
to 2 feet tall.
- Leaves: Alternate and basal, simple, hairy, the basal
leaves elliptic to oblanceolate, rounded or pointed at the tip,
tapering to the base, toothed, up to 6 inches long, up to
2 inches broad, the leaves on the stem similar but smaller and
some of them clasping the stem.
- Flowers: Many crowded into a head with several heads
per plant, each head up to 1 1/2 inches across and subtended by
many narrow, hairy, green bracts; the outer flowers about 100,
pink or sometimes white and ray-like; the inner yellow, tubular,
forming a disk.
- Sepals: 0.
- Petals: Some pink or white, narrow, ray-like, others
yellow, 5-parted, forming a disk.
- Stamens: 5.
- Pistils: Ovary inferior, hairy.
- Fruits: Achenes 1/20 inch long, with a tuft of white
bristles.
- Notes: The vegetative parts of this species are eaten
by white-tailed deer.
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