Flora of North America species comparison

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Antennaria microphylla

Antennaria aromatica

little-leaf pussytoes, pink pussytoes, rosy pussytoes, small pussytoes, white pussytoes

aromatic pussytoes, scented pussytoes
Habit Dioecious. Dioecious.
Plants

9–30 cm (stems stipitate-glandular distally).

2–7 cm (stems stipitate-glandular).
Stolons

1–5 cm.

0.5–2.5 cm.
Basal leaves

1-nerved, spatulate, 6–16 × 2–6 mm, tips mucronate, faces silvery gray-pubescent.

1-nerved, usually cuneate-spatulate, sometimes oblanceolate, 5–16 × 3–10 mm, tips mucronate, faces gray-pubescent (and stipitate-glandular; fresh leaves citronella scented).
Cauline leaves

linear, 5–25 mm, not flagged (apices acute).

linear, 3–14 mm, not flagged (apices acute).
Involucres

staminate 5–6.5 mm; pistillate 5.5–7 mm.

staminate 4.5–6.5 mm; pistillate 5–7(–9) mm.
Corollas

staminate 2.5–3 mm; pistillate 3–4.3 mm.

staminate 2.5–3 mm; pistillate 3.5–4.5 mm.
Phyllaries

distally bright white to light yellow.

distally light brown, dark brown, or olivaceous.
Heads

6–13 in corymbiform arrays.

borne singly or 2–5 in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

0.7–1.2 mm, glabrous or sparingly papillate;

pappi: staminate 3–4 mm; pistillate 3–5 mm.

0.9–2 mm, sparingly papillate;

pappi: staminate 3–4 mm; pistillate 4.5–5.5 mm.
2n

= 28.

= 28, 56, 84.

Antennaria microphylla

Antennaria aromatica
Phenology Flowering early–mid summer. Flowering mid summer.
Habitat Moist open areas, flood plains of streams, margins of alkaline depressions, lower montane to subalpine (subarctic) Subalpine limestone talus
Elevation 0–3200 m (0–10500 ft) 1600–3000 m (5200–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; WY; AB
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Antennaria microphylla is a primary sexual progenitor of the A. rosea polyploid agamic complex (R. J. Bayer 1990b). A. Cronquist (1955) included A. rosea within his circumscription of A. microphylla. It is preferable to recognize sexual diploids as distinct from their morphologically discrete hybrid apomictic derivatives. Antennaria microphylla is always dioecious and has stems distally stipitate-glandular and white phyllaries; A. rosea is always gynoecious and has stems without glandular hairs and phyllaries only occasionally white.

Some authors (A. E. Porsild 1950; E. H. Moss 1959; Porsild and W. J. Cody 1980) have recognized A. nitida as distinct; comparisons of the nomenclatural types of the two show that they are conspecific. Antennaria microphylla has allelopathic properties (G. D. Manners and D. S. Galitz 1985).

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

Known only from the northern Rockies, Antennaria aromatica is characterized by glandulosity, cuneate leaves, and odor of citronella in crushed leaves of living material. It is most closely related to A. densifolia of the Northwest Territories and Yukon (R. J. Bayer 1989c). Some collections of pistillate plants from Colorado and other areas of the Rockies superficially resemble A. aromatica and undoubtedly have A. aromatica in their parentage. They are non-glandular and odorless and are closer to the type of A. pulvinata, which is included in the circumscription of A. rosea, as A. rosea subsp. pulvinata (Bayer). Antennaria aromatica is a sexual progenitor of the A. rosea and A. alpina polyploid complexes.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 407. FNA vol. 19, p. 408.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Gnaphalieae > Antennaria 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. howellii, A. lanata, A. luzuloides, A. marginata, A. media, 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
A. alpina, A. anaphaloides, A. arcuata, A. argentea, A. corymbosa, A. densifolia, A. dimorpha, A. dioica, A. flagellaris, A. friesiana, A. geyeri, A. howellii, 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
Synonyms A. bracteosa, A. microphylla var. solstitialis, A. nitida, A. rosea var. nitida, A. solstitialis
Name authority Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 24: 303. (1897) Evert: Madroño 31: 109, fig. 1. (1984)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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