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| ## Philadelphia fleabane {#philadelphia-fleabane .Title-Header}       |
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| *Erigeron philadelphicus* L.                                          |
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| Plant Symbol = ERPH                                                   |
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####### *Contributed By: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center*

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6979166666666665in"
height="4.051388888888889in"}

### Alternate names

Daisy fleabane, common fleabane, marsh, fleabane, frost-root, skervish,
poor robin's plantain

### Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: The Cherokee and other Native American tribes used
Philadelphia fleabane for a variety of medicinal purposes including
epilepsy. A poultice was made from the plant to treat headaches. The
roots were either made into tea or chewed to treat colds and coughs. The
smoke from incense made from the plant was inhaled to treat head colds.
A snuff was made and sniffed also for head colds. It was mixed with
other herbs to also treat headaches and inflammation of the nose and
throat. The tea was used to break fevers. The plant was boiled and mixed
with tallow to make a balm that could be spread upon sores on the skin.
It was used for as an eye medicine to treat "dimness of sight." It was
used as an astringent, a diuretic, and as an aid for kidneys or the
gout. The Cherokee and Houma tribes boiled the roots to make a drink for
"menstruation troubles" and to induce miscarriages (to treat "suppressed
menstruation"). It was also used to treat hemorrhages and for spitting
of blood. The Catawba used a drink from the plant to treat heart
trouble.

*Livestock*: Cows graze this plant for forage.

*Wildlife*: Deer use this plant for food. Butterflies, bees and moths
pollinate the flowers.

### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

### Weediness

This plant may become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats and
may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. Please
consult with your local NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service
office, or state natural resource or agriculture department regarding
its status and use. Weed information is also available from the PLANTS
Web site at plants.usda.gov.

### Description

*General*: Sunflower or composite family (Asteraceae; Compositae).
Philadelphia fleabane is a native, biennial or short-lived, somewhat
weedy, perennial herb. The hemispherical, aster-like flowers (1.5
--2.5cm diameter), which bloom in the spring, have yellow centers of
tubular disk flowers (2.5-3cm long), surrounded by from 100-150 narrow,
white to pinkish-purple rays (5-10mm long). The flowers grow on branches
atop a 30 to 90cm-tall leafless, usually single, stem that grows out of
a sparse rosette of basal leaves (4-16cm long). Each branch can bear
from a few to several flowers or drooping closed buds. The opened
flowers close at night. The basal leaves are ovate (widest near the
base) with toothed margins. Another group of smaller, lanceolate leaves
surround and clasp the stem near the base. The leaves and stems can be
sparsely pubescent to quite hairy. The genus name, Erigeron stems from
the Greek *eri*, \"early\" and *geron* \"old man,\" probably because of
the

plant's hairy appearance. The common name "fleabane" is from Old English
and it refers to the plant's odor, which supposedly can repel fleas.

*Similar species: Erigeron pulchellus* has fewer ray flowers (40-60).
*E. quercifolius* is shorter with violet or blue flowers. *E. strigosus*
is an annual from 30-90cm tall, which lacks the clasping leaves
surrounding the stem. Low Erigeron (*E. pumilis* Nutt.) is from 5-30cm
tall and can have white, pink, or bluish rays.

*Distribution*: For current distribution, please consult the Plant
Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

*Habitat*: Philadelphia fleabane grows in moist to very wet conditions.
Plants grow in wet meadows and grassy openings, flood plains, lowland
woodlands, thickets, fields, stream banks, low pastures, wet roadsides
and seepage areas. The size of the plant varies with habitat.

### Establishment

The plant will grow in a variety of soils. However, it requires soils
that are moist and moderately well drained. It grows best in full sun
but will tolerate dappled shade.

*Seeds*: Wildflower seeds should be sown directly into beds or scattered
in the garden during early spring. The seeds should germinate in about
four weeks.

### Management

Philadelphia fleabane is a native wildflower that occurs over much of
the United States and will often self sow if growing under favorable
conditions. However, this plant is listed as an invasive weed, so be
sure to determine if it can be a problem in your area before planting.

### Control

##### Please contact your local agricultural extension specialist or county weed specialist to learn what works best in your area and how to use it safely. 

##### 

##### Always read label and safety instructions for each control method. Trade names and control measures appear in this document only to provide specific information. USDA, NRCS does not guarantee or warranty the products and control methods named, and other products may be equally effective.

### Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

These plant materials are somewhat available from commercial sources.
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

### References

Chapman, A.W. 1883. *Flora of the Southern United States: Flowering
Plants and Ferns*. Second Edition. J. Wilson and Son, Cambridge,
Massachusetts. 698 pp.

Cronquist, A. 1980. *Vascular flora of the Southeastern United States*.
University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 261 pp.

Duncan, W. H. & L.E. Foote. 1975. *Wildflowers of the Southeastern
United States.* University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia. 296 pp.

Godfrey, R.K. & J.W. Wooten. 1979. *Aquatic and wetland plants of
southeastern United States*. Vol 2. University of Georgia Press, Athens,
Georgia. 712 pp.

Greene, W.F. & .L. Blomquist. 1953. *Flowers of the south: native and
exotic*. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, North
Carolina. 208pp.

Haddock, M. 2000. *Philadelphia fleabane*. Kansas wildflowers and
grasses

<http://www.lib.ksu.edu/wildflower/philadelphia.html>. (May 4, 2001).

Hamel, P.B. & M.U. Chiltoskey. 1975. *Cherokee plants and their uses: A
400-year history*. Herald Publishing Company, Sylva, North Carolina. 65
pp.

Moerman, D.E. 1998. *Native American ethnobotany*. Timber Press,
Portland, Oregon. 927 pp.

Shemluck, M. 1982. *Medicinal and other uses of the Compositae by
Indians in the United States and Canada*. Journal of Ethnopharmacology
5: 303-358.

Small, J.K. 1933. *Manual of southeastern flora*. University of North
Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 1554 pp.

Smith, A.I. 1979. *A guide to wildflowers of the mid-south*. Memphis
State University Press, Memphis, Tennessee. 281 pp.

Speck, F.G. 1941. *A list of plant curatives obtained from the Houma
Indians of Louisiana*. Primitive Man Quarterly Bulletin of the Catholic
Anthropological Conference 14(4): 49-75.

Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. 2001. *Native Wildflowers of
the North Dakota Grasslands*. United States Geological Service

<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/literatr/wildflwr/species/erigphil.htm>.
(May 4, 2001).

*Erigeron philadelphicus*. 2000. *Plants for a future-species database.*
[www.pfaf.org](http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Erigeron+philadelphicus#WEBREFS).
(May 4, 2001).

Wunderlin, R. P. & B. F. Hansen. 2000. *Atlas of Florida Vascular
Plants*. <http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/>.

\[S. M. Landry and K.N. Campbell (application development), Florida
Center for Community Design and Research.\] Institute for Systematic
Botany,

University of South Florida, Tampa. (May 4, 2001).

### Prepared By

## *Diana L. Immel*

Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, c/o Environmental
Horticulture Department, University of California, Davis, California

### Species Coordinator

## *M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, c/o Plant Science Department,
University of California, Davis, California

Edited: 29May2001 jsp; 19may03 ahv; 05jun06 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
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