Antennaria pulchella
Antennaria alpina
beautiful pussy-toes, Sierra pussytoes
alpine catsfoot, alpine pussytoes
(1–)3–12 cm (stems usually stipitate-glandular).
3–18 cm.
1–4(–9) cm.
1–7 cm.
1-nerved, spatulate to linear-cuneate, 6–12 × 1.5–4.5 mm, tips mucronate, faces glabrescent-scabrous to gray-pubescent (often with purple glandular hairs).
1-nerved, spatulate to oblanceolate, 6–25 × 2–7 mm, tips mucronate, abaxial faces tomentose, adaxial green-glabrescent to gray-pubescent.
linear, 3–11(–13) mm, usually not flagged (apices acute to acuminate), rarely distal flagged.
linear, 5–20 mm, at least mid and distal flagged.
staminate 4–5 mm; pistillate 3.5–4.5 mm.
staminate 5–6.5 mm; pistillate 4–7(–10) mm.
staminate 1.9–2.8 mm; pistillate 2–3 mm.
staminate 3–3.5 mm; pistillate 3.5–5 mm.
(relatively wide) distally dark brown-black (sometimes light brown or whitish at very tips; apices blunt).
distally dark brown, black, or olivaceous.
4–6 in corymbiform arrays.
2–5 in corymbiform arrays.
0.7–1.3 mm, glabrous or slightly papillate;
pappi: staminate 2.5–3.5 mm; pistillate 2.5–3.5 mm.
1–1.8 mm, sparingly papillate;
pappi: staminate 3.5–4 mm; pistillate 4.5–6 mm.
= 28 (as A. media).
= 56, 84, 98, 112.
Antennaria pulchella
Antennaria alpina
Antennaria pulchella is the diploid progenitor of A. media and, consequently, a progenitor of the A. alpina complex (R. J. Bayer 1990d). The A. rosea and A. parvifolia complexes also have the genome of A. pulchella, shown in the high elevation clones with dark phyllaries in these two polyploid complexes. Antennaria pulchella is differentiated from A. media by shorter pistillate or staminate corollas and shorter cauline leaves (Bayer). This sexually reproducing diploid ranges from the area around Lake Tahoe to the Mt. Whitney region (Bayer).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Antennaria alpina is one of the more morphologically variable agamic complexes in the genus. Some taxonomists have argued that true Antennaria alpina does not occur in North America, because none of the North American material exactly matches the type of A. alpina, which is from Lapland (M. O. Malte 1934; A. E. Porsild 1965). If one uses a strict typological species concept, then this is true; I recognize that this species complex is composed of innumerable apomictic clones and am circumscribing a broad species concept for A. alpina. The potential morphologic overlap between the A. media and A. alpina complexes is a major taxonomic problem. The chief difference between members of the two complexes is the presence of prominent flags on cauline leaves in A. alpina and their absence in A. media. Antennaria alpina of North America is gynoecious and characterized by its dark green to black phyllaries and conspicuous flags on the distal cauline leaves. The basal leaves vary from glabrous, as in the type material, to pubescent. The primary progenitors of the A. alpina complex include A. aromatica, A. densifolia, A. friesiana subsp. alaskana, A. friesiana subsp. neoalaskana, A. monocephala subsp. monocephala, and A. pulchella.
Excluded names:
Some Antennaria names are based on early-generation interspecific hybrids, including:
Antennaria ×erigeroides Greene = A. corymbosa × A. racemosa
A. ×foliacea Greene = A. microphylla × A. racemosa
A. ×macounii Greene = A. media × A. umbrinella
A. ×oblancifolia E. E. Nelson = A. racemosa × A. umbrinella
A. ×rousseaui A. E. Porsild = ? A. alpina × A. rosea
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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