Flower profile

Philadelphia fleabane

Erigeron philadelphicus

Native in the lower 48

Philadelphia fleabane is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 10 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–June.

46states

10of our state lists

27,408U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia

Quick look

Erigeron philadelphicus, the Philadelphia fleabane, is a species of flowering plant in the composite family (Asteraceae). Other common names include philadelphia daisy, common fleabane, daisy fleabane, frost-root, marsh fleabane, poor robin's plantain, skevish or skervish, and, in the British Isles, robin's-plantain, but all of these names are shared with other species of fleabanes (Erigeron).
From Wikipedia's article Erigeron philadelphicus, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a biennial, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 46 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Pennsylvania, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
In Maryland, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 2.8 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 4,227 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #41 among the 111 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,099 research-grade sightings of it in Maryland, ranking #53 among the 110 flowers on our Maryland list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,830 research-grade sightings of it in Virginia, ranking #93 among the 110 flowers on our Virginia list. ^iNaturalist

Philadelphia fleabane gift ideas

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (7,558 records)

Bloom time in each of our 10 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Pennsylvania	Native	April–June	4,227
Maryland	Native	April–May	2,099
Virginia	Native	April–June	1,830
Georgia	Native	March–May	1,793
Tennessee	Native	March–May	1,390
Kentucky	Native	March–May	1,019
New Jersey	Native	May–June	962
Alabama	Native	March–May	928
Mississippi	Native	February–May	461
Delaware	Native	April–May	156

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Pennsylvania: Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe: S5, secure in Pennsylvania. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
Maryland: Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Maryland. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Virginia: Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). NatureServe: S5, secure in Virginia. ^2VAC5-320-10
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Kentucky. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
New Jersey: Not listed Not on New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Jersey. ^{N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Delaware: Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: S5, secure in Delaware. ^{DE rare plants 2024}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (S2), NV (S2), WY (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Erigeron speciosus (“Fleabane”), as toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records philadelphia fleabane in 46 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Pennsylvania counties with USDA records: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Somerset, Susquehanna, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, York.

Virginia counties with USDA records: Accomack, Albemarle, Amherst, Arlington, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buckingham, Campbell, Chesapeake , Clarke, Craig, Dickenson, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Greene, Hampton , Henrico, Henry, Isle of Wight, James City, King George, Lee, Loudoun, Montgomery, Newport News , Page, Powhatan, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Surry, Tazewell, Virginia Beach , Warren, Washington, Wise, Wythe, York.

More Pennsylvania flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in PA: May–August

Goldenrods

Solidago

★ KY state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms: July–October

White snakeroot

Ageratina altissima

Native

🌼 Blooms in PA: August–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ERPH.
iNaturalist, Erigeron philadelphicus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Erigeron philadelphicus (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023).
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List (3 Pa.C.S. § 1519, PA Dept. of Agriculture) (PDA's page spells garlic mustard “Allaria petiolata”; we match it as Alliaria petiolata).
Maryland: Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08).
Maryland: Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List (COMAR 15.06.04.06; MDA, updated July 2026).
Virginia: Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10).
Virginia: Virginia noxious weeds (2VAC5-317-20, Tier 1, 2 and 3).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
Kentucky: Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026).
Kentucky: Kentucky noxious weeds and invasive plants on state rights-of-way (KRS 176.051; species list from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet).
New Jersey: New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1).
New Jersey: New Jersey prohibited invasive plant species (Invasive Species Management Act; propagation banned from Jan 1, 2027, sale from Jan 1, 2030).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
Delaware: Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list).
Delaware: Delaware Invasive Plant List (3 Del. Admin. Code § 806-3.0).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Erigeron philadelphicus (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Sinéad Tuttle-Lerner via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.