Several fleabanes occur along the GAP. The first to appear is Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus), a native biennial or short-lived perennial in the Asteraceae (composite) family. It usually flowers in early May and is quite conspicuous along the margins of the GAP. It’s known as a “pioneer” species—one of the first colonizers of disturbed bare ground— and thus was right at home along the old railroad right-of-way that now serves as the GAP. The species name literally means “of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” attesting to its status as a native plant of Pennsylvania. The genus name Erigeron comes from the Greek eri ("early") and geron ("old man")— referencing both its early bloom time and its downy, white-bearded seed heads. Each flower head bears 100–150 extremely narrow ray florets, usually white but occasionally ranging to pinkish-purple. Philadelphia Fleabane has one of the richer ethnobotanical records in the composite family. The Cherokee, Houma, Catawba, Blackfoot, Ojibwa, Meskwaki, and Iroquois all used the roots, either chewed or in decoctions to treat colds and coughs and in an infusion to reduce fevers. It seems to have fallen into disfavor as a medicinal plant, however. Now considered an ornamental by some, it is sometimes found as a component in commercially available mixtures of wildflower seeds.
