Philadelphia Fleabane vs Robin's Plantain
These two species can be confused, as both have abundant basal leaves and clasping leaves along the stem, and both can be found in lightly-shaded habitats. They are easily distinguished by flowers, and they also have little overlap in habitat: E. philadelphicus prefers moister, more disturbed habitats with richer soils, and tolerates poor drainage, whereas E. pulchellus prefers drier, less-disturbed habitats in undisturbed soil of low fertility.
Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) | Robin's Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) |
A common and widely-distributed biennial or short-lived perennial native to North America. | A perennial favoring slightly dry sites of low soil fertility in open woodlands. |
 Flowers have much more (100-150), narrower rays, leading to a wispy appearance. Photo © Violet T., CC BY 4.0. |  Flowers have fewer (about 50), wider rays. Photo © Scott Morris, CC BY 4.0. |
 Plants average much taller, frequently to 2.5 feet. Photo © Alex Goodfriend, CC BY 4.0. |  Plants average much shorter, usually under 1.5 feet. Photo © mjpapay, CC BY 4.0. |
 Found in moister, richer, more disturbed, often poorly-drained habitats, often with more competition from ground-level vegetation. Photo © Allen Toulouse, CC BY 4.0. |  Found in drier, better-drained habitats with less-fertile soil, and less competition from ground-level vegetation, but less disturbed. Photo © mjpapay, CC BY 4.0. |
 Pubescence on stems and foliage tends to be less dense, and hairs shorter. Photo © Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0. |  Pubescence on stems and foliage tends to be much denser, and hairs longer. Photo © aarongunnar, CC BY 4.0. |
References & External Resources
These short lists show only links helpful for ID. For a complete list of references and resources also covering other aspects of ecology, visit the links section of the full article on each plant, whcih is the first entry here.
