Flora of North America species comparison

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Antennaria parvifolia

Antennaria aromatica

little-leaf pussytoes, Nuttall's pussytoes, small-leaf pussytoes

aromatic pussytoes, scented pussytoes
Habit Dioecious or gynoecious (staminate plants uncommon or in equal frequency as pistillates, respectively). Dioecious.
Plants

2–8(–15) cm.

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

1–6 cm.

0.5–2.5 cm.
Basal leaves

1-nerved, narrowly spatulate to spatulate or oblanceolate, 8–35 × 2–15 mm, tips mucronate, faces gray-tomentose.

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 to narrowly oblanceolate, 8–20 mm, not flagged (apices acute).

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

staminate 5.5–7.5 mm;

pistillate 8–10(–15) mm (gynoecious), 7–7.2 mm (dioecious).

staminate 4.5–6.5 mm;

pistillate 5–7(–9) mm.
Corollas

staminate 3.5–4.5 mm;

pistillate 5–8 mm.

staminate 2.5–3 mm;

pistillate 3.5–4.5 mm.
Phyllaries

distally white, pink, green, red, or brown.

distally light brown, dark brown, or olivaceous.
Heads

2–7 in corymbiform arrays.

borne singly or 2–5 in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

1–1.8 mm, glabrous or minutely papillate;

pappi: staminate 4–5.5 mm;

pistillate 6.5–9 mm.

0.9–2 mm, sparingly papillate;

pappi: staminate 3–4 mm;

pistillate 4.5–5.5 mm.
2n

= 56, 84, 112, 140.

= 28, 56, 84.

Antennaria parvifolia

Antennaria aromatica
Phenology Flowering late spring–summer. Flowering mid summer.
Habitat Prairies, pastures, roadsides, mountain parks, open deciduous woods, and drier coniferous forests, usually ponderosa or lodgepole pine Subalpine limestone talus
Elevation 100–3400 m (300–11200 ft) 1600–3000 m (5200–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; IA; ID; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OR; SD; TX; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; SK; Okla (expected in panhandle); Wis (expected); Mexico (Chihuahua, Nuevo León)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; WY; AB
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Antennaria parvifolia is a widespread, polyploid complex of sexual (dioecious) and asexual (gynoecious) populations (G. L. Stebbins 1932b; R. J. Bayer and Stebbins 1987). Although variable morphologically, no infraspecific taxa seem warranted at this time. Sexual (dioecious) populations are known primarily from New Mexico and Colorado; apomictic plants occur throughout the range of the species. Probable sexual diploid/tetraploid progenitors of the A. parvifolia complex include A. dioica, A. marginata, A. neglecta, and A. pulchella/A. media. Antennaria parvifolia is characterized by relatively short stature and relatively small numbers of relatively large heads. The epithet parvifolia has been rendered as “parviflora” in floras, e.g., key in Great Plains Flora Association (1986); E. H. Moss (1959); H. J. Scoggan (1978–1979, part 4). In some floras, A. parvifolia has been confused with A. microphylla; the two are probably not closely related.

(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. 406. 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. microphylla, A. monocephala, A. neglecta, A. parlinii, 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. aprica, A. aprica var. aureola, A. aprica var. minuscula, A. aureola, A. dioica var. parvifolia, A. holmii, A. latisquamea, A. minuscula, A. recurva, A. rhodantha
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 406. (1841) Evert: Madroño 31: 109, fig. 1. (1984)
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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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