Common Fleabane
Erigeron Philadelphicus, L. Sunflower Family
Hairy, perennial herbs. Stems.—One to three feet high; leafy to the top. Root-leaves.—Spatulate or obovate. Stem-leaves.—Oblong; sessile, with broad clasping base; irregularly toothed. Flower-heads.—In a loose corymb. Disks.—Yellow; three or four lines across. Rays.—Innumerable; very narrow; flesh-color to rose-purple; about three lines long. Hab.—Widely distributed on the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts.
The feathery, daisy-like flowers of the common fleabane are of frequent occurrence in moist meadows or along the roadsides in spring. The ray-flowers are so narrow as to form a delicate fringe around the disk.
The common name arose from the belief that these plants were harmful to fleas.
GROUND-PINK—Gilia dianthoides.