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.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Lobed; Serrate
Leaf feel
Soft; Velvety
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Basal clump of 2"-6" long leaves paddle-shaped with teeth or scallops. Leaves along the stem are smaller ovate to lanceolate and clasp the stem. Hairs present mostly on the undersides.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
1 to 1.5 in. head with 30 - 50 very thin petals around a flat, yellow central disc from April to June. Flowers appear in clusters of 2-6 blooms.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Bullet-shaped achene with tufts of hair. Seeds wind-dispersed. Displays from June to July.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
soft, hairy, hollow unbranched
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
East Canada to U.S.A
Distribution
AL , AR , CT , DC , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV Canada: ON , QC
Wildlife value
Flowers attract butterflies and bees.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Naturalized Area; Near Septic; Riparian; Woodland