Philadelphia fleabane

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Philadelphia fleabane leaf

Philadelphia fleabane inflorescence

Philadelphia fleabane

Philadelphia fleabane stem and leaves

Philadelphia fleabane

Philadelphia fleabane

Philadelphia fleabane inflorescence

Philadelphia fleabane

Morphology

Stem

Erect, slender, branched above, long-hairy or nearly glabrous.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, short-stalked below, heart-shaped clasping above, broadly to narrowly oblanceolate, 1 to 6 inches long, 1/4 to 2 inches wide, long-hairy or nearly glabrous; margins bluntly or sharply toothed to nearly entire; tips blunt or pointed.

Inflorescence

Heads, open-clustered, numerous, terminal.

Flower

Heads 1/2 to 1 inch wide; bracts narrow, nearly equal, margins broad, translucent to purplish; ray florets 150 or more, fine, thread-like, white, rose-purple or pinkish; disk florets numerous, yellow.

Fruit

Achenes, flattened, 2-nerved, sparsely hairy, tipped with circle of 20-30 bristles, enclosing small seed.

Ecology

Habitat

Open, moist sites, low prairies, and stream banks, often where there has been some disturbance.

Distribution

East 1/3 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Uses

Some Native American groups used Philadelphia fleabane medicinally to treat colds, diarrhea, and sores.

Additional Notes