Oakleaf fleabane (Erigeron quercifolius)

You may be noticing a small white flower popping up in your lawn and/or on roadsides, that may be Oakleaf Fleabane, a common native wildflower in Floria and throughout the Southeastern US. Check out our growing guide here.

Photo © Mark Hutchinson
This flower appears to be a favorite of the small native pollinators: sweat bees, small skippers, and nearly invisible flies.
Aripeka Sandhills Preserve, Pasco County, December 2018. Photo CC-BY Nate Martineau.


E. quercifolius is in Section Quercifolium of the Genus Erigeron, which means that it is more closely related to Erigeron species in the Western US and Central America like the Rio Grande Erigeron (Erigeron tenellus) and Darrel's Fleabane (Erigeron darrelianus) in Bermuda than it is to the other native species of Erigeron in Florida (E. annuus, E. pulchellus, E. strigosus, E. tenuis, and E. vernus)1,2.

Jonathathan Dickinson State Park, Martin County. March 2011. Photo CC-BY-2.0 Bob Peterson.
Oakleaf fleabane is occasionally available from native nurseries. If you yard is moist enough, you may be able to see some if you delay mowing in the spring.

References

[1] Nesom, G.L. Classification of Subtribe Conyzinae (Asteraceae: Asterea). Lundellia, 2008(11):8-38 link
[2] Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2019. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Further Reading

Magnolia Chapter. Native Wildflowers Turn a Corner. Sabal Minor, 2013:15(4), p. 1 link
Mallinger, Rachel. Bees of Florida. link

Comments

Robert Reynolds said…
Thanks for the link to the growing guide here on the blog. It was really helpful!
April 2, 2019 at 12:37 AM
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