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

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

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

2–8(–15) cm.

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

Stolons

1–6 cm.

1–5 cm.

Basal leaves

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

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

Cauline leaves

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

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

Involucres

staminate 5.5–7.5 mm;

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

staminate 5–6.5 mm;

pistillate 5.5–7 mm.

Corollas

staminate 3.5–4.5 mm;

pistillate 5–8 mm.

staminate 2.5–3 mm;

pistillate 3–4.3 mm.

Phyllaries

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

distally bright white to light yellow.

Heads

2–7 in corymbiform arrays.

6–13 in corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

1–1.8 mm, glabrous or minutely papillate;

pappi: staminate 4–5.5 mm;

pistillate 6.5–9 mm.

0.7–1.2 mm, glabrous or sparingly papillate;

pappi: staminate 3–4 mm;

pistillate 3–5 mm.

2n

= 56, 84, 112, 140.

= 28.

Antennaria parvifolia

Antennaria microphylla

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer. Flowering early–mid summer.
Habitat Prairies, pastures, roadsides, mountain parks, open deciduous woods, and drier coniferous forests, usually ponderosa or lodgepole pine Moist open areas, flood plains of streams, margins of alkaline depressions, lower montane to subalpine (subarctic)
Elevation 100–3400 m (300–11200 ft) 0–3200 m (0–10500 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
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]
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.)

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.)

Source FNA vol. 19, p. 406. FNA vol. 19, p. 407.
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. 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
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 A. bracteosa, A. microphylla var. solstitialis, A. nitida, A. rosea var. nitida, A. solstitialis
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 406. (1841) Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 24: 303. (1897)
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