Antennaria microphylla
Antennaria howellii
little-leaf pussytoes, pink pussytoes, rosy pussytoes, small pussytoes, white pussytoes
Antennaire de Howell, everlasting pussytoes, Howell's pussytoes, small pussytoes
9–30 cm (stems stipitate-glandular distally).
(6–)8–35 cm (stems sometimes stipitate-glandular).
1–5 cm.
1–9(–12) cm.
1-nerved, spatulate, 6–16 × 2–6 mm, tips mucronate, faces silvery gray-pubescent.
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.
linear, 5–25 mm, not flagged (apices acute).
linear, 8–40 mm, distal sometimes flagged (apices acute).
staminate 5–6.5 mm; pistillate 5.5–7 mm.
staminate 6–6.5 mm; pistillate 6–11 mm.
staminate 2.5–3 mm; pistillate 3–4.3 mm.
staminate 3–4 mm; pistillate 3.5–6.5(–8) mm.
distally bright white to light yellow.
(bases sometimes rose) distally white, cream, or light brown.
6–13 in corymbiform arrays.
3–15 in corymbiform arrays.
0.7–1.2 mm, glabrous or sparingly papillate;
pappi: staminate 3–4 mm; pistillate 3–5 mm.
0.8–2 mm, ± papillate;
pappi: staminate 4–4.5 mm; pistillate 5.5–9 mm.
= 28.
= 56, 84, 140 (under A. neodioica).
Antennaria microphylla
Antennaria howellii
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.)
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.)
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, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
MN Wildflowers, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
- Local floras: BC, OR, WA
- Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, 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
