Antennaria howellii
Antennaria dioica
Antennaire de Howell, everlasting pussytoes, Howell's pussytoes, small pussytoes
stoloniferous pussytoes
(6–)8–35 cm (stems sometimes stipitate-glandular).
3–10 cm.
1–9(–12) cm.
2–5 cm.
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.
1-nerved, spatulate or rhombic-spatulate, 3–18 × 3–6 mm, tips mucronate, abaxial faces gray-tomentose, adaxial green-glabrous.
linear, 8–40 mm, distal sometimes flagged (apices acute).
linear, 7–13 mm, not flagged (apices acute).
staminate 6–6.5 mm;
pistillate 6–11 mm.
staminate 5–6.5 mm;
pistillate 5–7 mm.
staminate 3–4 mm;
pistillate 3.5–6.5(–8) mm.
staminate 3–4 mm;
pistillate 4–5 mm.
(bases sometimes rose) distally white, cream, or light brown.
distally dark pink to light pink or white.
3–15 in corymbiform arrays.
3–7 in corymbiform arrays.
0.8–2 mm, ± papillate;
pappi: staminate 4–4.5 mm;
pistillate 5.5–9 mm.
0.5–1 mm, papillate;
pappi: staminate 3.5–4.5 mm;
pistillate 5–6 mm.
= 56, 84, 140 (under A. neodioica).
= 28.
Antennaria howellii
Antennaria dioica
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.)
Antennaria dioica ranges from the British Isles to Japan and into the Aleutian Islands (R. J. Bayer 2000). It is characterized by glabrous adaxial leaf faces and distally pink or white phyllaries. The circumscription of A. dioica in North America has long been debated; A. marginata of southwestern states bears a remarkable similarity to A. dioica. DNA sequence data (Bayer et al. 1996) indicate that the two taxa are not sisters; they are only distantly related. They are allopatric. Antennaria dioica may be a sexual progenitor of the A. parvifolia complex.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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 |
- Local floras:
BC, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites:
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
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- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
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