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Antennaire de Howell, everlasting pussytoes, Howell's pussytoes, small pussytoes

Habit Gynoecious (staminate plants very uncommon).
Plants

(6–)8–35 cm (stems sometimes stipitate-glandular).

Stolons

1–9(–12) cm.

Basal leaves

1-nerved, spatulate to oblanceolate, spatulate-obovate, narrowly to broadly ovate, or cuneate-oblanceolate, 20–48(–65) × 2.5–20 mm, tips mucronate, faces abaxially tomentose, adaxially green-glabrous or gray-pubescent.

Cauline leaves

linear, 8–40 mm, distal sometimes flagged (apices acute).

Involucres

staminate 6–6.5 mm; pistillate 6–11 mm.

Corollas

staminate 3–4 mm; pistillate 3.5–6.5(–8) mm.

Phyllaries

(bases sometimes rose) distally white, cream, or light brown.

Heads

3–15 in corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

0.8–2 mm, ± papillate;

pappi: staminate 4–4.5 mm; pistillate 5.5–9 mm.

2n

= 56, 84, 140 (under A. neodioica).

Antennaria howellii

Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; CT; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 4 (4 in the flora).

The Antennaria howellii (previously A. neodioica) polyploid complex is highly variable morphologically; four more or less distinct subspecies can be recognized within it. The sexual progenitors of the complex are A. neglecta, A. plantaginifolia, A. racemosa, and A. virginica (see R. J. Bayer 1985). Antennaria marginata may also be a minor contributor to the origins of the complex. A. Cronquist (H. A. Gleason and Cronquist 1991) included members of this complex in A. neglecta; I maintain, because these apomicts are of hybrid polyploid origin from among multiple sexual progenitors, they best not be included within the circumscription of any one sexual progenitor (Bayer 1989d).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Basal leaves green-glabrous adaxially
→ 2
1. Basal leaves pubescent adaxially (sometimes glabrescent with age)
→ 3
2. Basal leaves 1-nerved, 20–40 × 6–9 mm; distal cauline leaves flagged; phyllaries distally white or cream
subsp. canadensis
2. Basal leaves 1–3-nerved, 25–40 × 9–12 mm; distal cauline leaves not flagged; phyllaries distally light brown or white
subsp. howellii
3. Basal leaves spatulate to narrowly or broadly obovate (petiolate); stolons 3–8(–12) cm (leaves along stolons almost equal to those in rosettes at ends)
subsp. neodioica
3. Basal leaves cuneate-oblanceolate, spatulate, or spatulate-obovate (without distinct petioles); stolons 4–9 cm (leaves along stolons smaller than in rosettes at ends)
subsp. petaloidea
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 403.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Gnaphalieae > Antennaria
Sibling taxa
A. alpina, A. anaphaloides, A. arcuata, A. argentea, A. aromatica, A. corymbosa, A. densifolia, A. dimorpha, A. dioica, A. flagellaris, A. friesiana, A. geyeri, A. lanata, A. luzuloides, A. marginata, A. media, A. microphylla, A. monocephala, A. neglecta, A. parlinii, A. parvifolia, A. plantaginifolia, A. pulchella, A. pulcherrima, A. racemosa, A. rosea, A. rosulata, A. soliceps, A. solitaria, A. stenophylla, A. suffrutescens, A. umbrinella, A. virginica
Subordinate taxa
A. howellii subsp. canadensis, A. howellii subsp. howellii, A. howellii subsp. neodioica, A. howellii subsp. petaloidea
Synonyms A. neglecta subsp. howellii, A. neglecta var. howellii, A. neodioica subsp. howellii
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 3: 174. (1897)
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