Flora of North America species comparison

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Pseudognaphalium leucocephalum

Pseudognaphalium microcephalum

white cudweed, white rabbit-tobacco

felt-leaf everlasting, San Diego rabbit-tobacco, Wright's cudweed
Habit Biennials or short-lived perennials, 30–60 cm; taprooted. Perennials, (30–)50–100 cm; taprooted.
Stems

densely and persistently white-tomentose, usually with stipitate-glandular hairs protruding through tomentum.

persistently grayish tomentose, not glandular, (3–5 mm diam. near bases).
Leaf

blades (crowded, internodes mostly 1–3, sometimes to 10 mm) linear-lanceolate, 3–7 cm × 1–5(–6) mm, bases subclasping, not decurrent, margins strongly revolute, faces bicolor, abaxial densely white-tomentose, adaxial green, densely stipitate-glandular.

blades narrowly oblanceolate, 2–5(–8) cm × 5–10(–18) mm (gradually smaller distally, becoming lanceolate), bases not clasping, not decurrent, margins flat, faces weakly bicolor, tomentose (adaxial less densely), not glandular.
Involucres

broadly campanulate, 5–6 mm.

turbinate-campanulate, 5–6 mm.
Pistillate florets

66–85.

29–49.
Bisexual florets

(6–14, California)29–44.

5–9.
Phyllaries

in 5–7 series, bright white (opaque, dull), oblong to oblong-ovate, glabrous.

in 4–5 series, white (opaque, dull), ovate to oblong-ovate (inner narrower, all usually with filiform but definitely thickened keel and slight apiculum), tomentose (at least bases).
Heads

in corymbiform arrays.

in loose, corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

ridged, smooth.

ridged, smooth to weakly papillate-roughened.
2n

= 28.

= 28.

Pseudognaphalium leucocephalum

Pseudognaphalium microcephalum
Phenology Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Nov(–Dec). Flowering (Apr–)Jun–Aug(–Nov).
Habitat Sandy or gravelly slopes, stream bottoms, arroyos, areas of oak-sycamore, oak-pine, to pine woodlands, commonly in riparian vegetation Grassy hillsides, gravelly canyon bottoms, chaparral, coastal sage scrub
Elevation 50–2100 m (200–6900 ft) 50–900(–1800) m (200–3000(–5900) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Pseudognaphalium leucocephalum is similar to P. viscosum, which has shiny, hyaline, ovate-lanceolate phyllaries, 200–250 pistillate florets, (13–)16–29 bisexual florets, and papillate-roughened cypselae. Some plants of P. leucocephalum also appear to approach P. biolettii in general appearance, and it is possible that some of them may represent hybrids. Plants of P. biolettii differ from P. leucocephalum in their typically eglandular stems, broader, basally ampliate, clasping, more widely spaced, and less densely glandular leaves, and thinner, shiny phyllaries.

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

Pseudognaphalium microcephalum is characterized by stems commonly stiffly erect and slightly zigzag distally, relatively thick (3–5 mm diam. near bases), and closely grayish tomentose, leaves oblanceolate, sessile, sometimes clasping, not decurrent, and weakly bicolor, and heads usually in open, corymbiform arrays.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 423. FNA vol. 19, p. 419.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Gnaphalieae > Pseudognaphalium Asteraceae > tribe Gnaphalieae > Pseudognaphalium
Sibling taxa
P. arizonicum, P. austrotexanum, P. beneolens, P. biolettii, P. californicum, P. canescens, P. helleri, P. jaliscense, P. luteoalbum, P. macounii, P. micradenium, P. microcephalum, P. obtusifolium, P. pringlei, P. ramosissimum, P. roseum, P. saxicola, P. stramineum, P. thermale, P. viscosum
P. arizonicum, P. austrotexanum, P. beneolens, P. biolettii, P. californicum, P. canescens, P. helleri, P. jaliscense, P. leucocephalum, P. luteoalbum, P. macounii, P. micradenium, P. obtusifolium, P. pringlei, P. ramosissimum, P. roseum, P. saxicola, P. stramineum, P. thermale, P. viscosum
Synonyms Gnaphalium leucocephalum Gnaphalium microcephalum, Gnaphalium albidum, Gnaphalium canescens subsp. microcephalum, P. canescens subsp. microcephalum
Name authority (A. Gray) Anderberg: Opera Bot. 104: 147. (1991) (Nuttall) Anderberg: Opera Bot. 104: 147. (1991)
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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