COMPOSITE FAMILY 



COMPOSITAE 



COMMON FLEABANE 



Erigeron philadelphicus L. 



The Common Fleabane is perennial and usually grows in 

 rather moist open places throughout the United States. It begins 

 blooming in early spring, usually April, and continues until 



August. 



The stem is hairy, rather slender, 

 mostly branched near the top and is 

 1-3 feet high. It bears obovate, ses- 

 sile and mostly entire leaves of which 

 the lowest are often toothed and 

 taper into short petioles, whereas the 

 upper are clasping and frequently 

 somewhat heart shaped at the base. 



The several to many heads are 

 less than i inch broad. The bracts of 

 the involucre are narrow and ap- 

 proximately equal in length. The 

 rays are rose-purple to pinkish, very 

 narrow and numerous, usually more 

 than 100. They and the yellow disk 

 flowers produce minutely hairy 

 akenes. The pappus is a single row of 

 white bristles. The akenes are cov- 

 ered with very short hairs. 



Robin's Plantain, Erigeron pul- 

 chellus Michx., is a soft-haired species 

 perennial by stolons. It grows on- dry 

 hills and banks from Nova Scotia to 

 Ontario and Minnesota, south to Florida 

 and Louisiana, and blooms from April 

 to June. The stem is hairy, unbranched and 1-2 feet high. Most of 

 the leaves are at the base, 1-3 inches long, 1-2 inches wide and oc- 

 casionally somewhat toothed. The stem leaves are few and far apart, 

 sessile, partly clasping and mostly entire. The heads are few and large, 

 usually more than i inch broad. There are usually about 50 light 

 blue-purple rays one-half inch or more in length. The disk flowers 

 are yellow and the akenes nearly smooth. The pappus is a single row 

 of bristles. 



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