Robin's Plantain Erigeron pulchellus

Robin's plantain is a biennial or short-lived perennial wildflower or groundcover in the aster (Asteraceae) family. It is native to eastern and central USA including NC and is found growing along forests, stream banks and fields.  Genus name comes from the Greek words eri meaning early and geron meaning old man in reference to the early bloom time and downy plant appearance suggestive of a white beard. The specific epithet from Latin means beautiful. 

Clusters of showy flowers appear at the stem tops from April to June.  The many white to light lavender rays surround the center yellow disc flowers. Both the ray flowers and disc flowers are fertile. The basal leaves are up to 6 inches long with smaller leaves ascending the stem. 

This plant will do best with some shade and is adaptable to various soils as long as they are well drained. Rocky and sandy soils are best in average to dry conditions.  They will perform poorly in soils with too much organic matter.  Plants will spread through the garden through self-seeding or by its stoloniferous runners.  Propagate by seed or division. Each plant will send out stolons to create new plants before dying.

Use this plant in mass plantings, in rock gardens, as a ground cover,  on slopes, in naturalized areas, in front of the border or along walkways. They will attract various pollinators for you.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems though occasionally suffer from rust, leaf spots and powdery mildew.