Virginia ecotype - Northern Virginia
Duration: Perennial
Habit: Low rosettes of basal leaves with upright flowering stems; slowly colony-forming
Size: 1 to 2 feet tall in bloom; spreads 1 to 2 feet wide as a groundcover
Flowering Time: April to June
Bloom Color: Pale lavender to pinkish-lilac with yellow centers (sometimes nearly white)
Habitat: Open woods, woodland edges, meadows, slopes, and clearings
Moisture: Average to moist; prefers well-drained soils but tolerates drought in shade once established
Light: Part sun to part shade (tolerates full sun in cooler or moist sites)
Soils: Sandy loam, loamy, or silty soils; often in humus-rich ground
Uses: Woodland gardens, groundcover, low growing pollinator gardens, erosion control on slopes
Erigeron pulchellus (Robin’s Plantain)
Erigeron pulchellus, commonly called Robin’s Plantain, is an early-blooming native perennial in the daisy family. It forms low basal rosettes of fuzzy green leaves from which give rise to slender stalks topped with charming, daisy-like flowers in spring. The blossoms, usually pale lavender to pink with yellow centers, provide soft color in woodlands and naturalized areas just as many spring ephemerals are finishing.
This species spreads by its stoloniferous growth, which allows it to slowly spread into low-growing attractive colonies, making it a useful and ornamental groundcover. It prefers to grow in average to moist partially sunny areas. It can adapt to drier soils in shade, or to more sun in more consistent moisture.
Robin’s Plantain is an early nectar and pollen source for native bees, small butterflies, and beneficial flies. Several species of small mining bees (Andrena spp.) and hoverflies are especially frequent visitors.