Antennaria howellii
Antennaria plantaginifolia
Antennaire de Howell, everlasting pussytoes, Howell's pussytoes, small pussytoes
Antennaire à feuilles de plantain, plantain-leaf pussytoes, woman's tobacco
(6–)8–35 cm (stems sometimes stipitate-glandular).
6.5–20(–25) cm.
1–9(–12) cm.
2.5–7.5 cm (mostly ascending when young).
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.
(petiolate) 3–5(–7)-nerved, obovate to suborbiculate, 35–75 × 15–35 mm, tips minutely mucronate, abaxially tomentose, adaxially green-glabrescent to gray-pubescent.
linear, 8–40 mm, distal sometimes flagged (apices acute).
linear, 6.5–35 mm, distal flagged.
staminate 6–6.5 mm;
pistillate 6–11 mm.
staminate 5–7(–8) mm;
pistillate 5–7 mm.
staminate 3–4 mm;
pistillate 3.5–6.5(–8) mm.
staminate 2–3.5 mm;
pistillate 3–4 mm.
(bases sometimes rose) distally white, cream, or light brown.
distally white.
3–15 in corymbiform arrays.
4–17(–30) in tight corymbiform arrays.
0.8–2 mm, ± papillate;
pappi: staminate 4–4.5 mm;
pistillate 5.5–9 mm.
0.5–1.6 mm, slightly papillate;
pappi: staminate 2.5–4 mm;
pistillate 3.5–5.5 mm.
= 56, 84, 140 (under A. neodioica).
= 28.
Antennaria howellii
Antennaria plantaginifolia
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 plantaginifolia is a diploid progenitor of the A. parlinii complex and is similar to that species except for smaller heads and adaxially gray-pubescent basal leaves (R. J. Bayer and G. L. Stebbins 1982; Bayer 1985b; Bayer and D. J. Crawford 1986). It is a diploid ancestor of the A. howellii complex. It is found in the Appalachian region; disjunct populations occur in the driftless area of Wisconsin and Minnesota (Bayer and Stebbins).
(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
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
MO Plants
