The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

white cudweed, white rabbit-tobacco

pink cudweed, pink everlasting, pink rabbit-tobacco

Habit Biennials or short-lived perennials, 30–60 cm; taprooted. Biennials (sweetly fragrant), 50–120(–150) cm; taprooted.
Stems

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

(erect) gray-tomentose, glabrescent, stipitate-glandular beneath tomentum.

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 linear to lanceolate, oblong, or narrowly spatulate, (1–)3–7 cm × 3–5(–7) mm, bases not clasping, decurrent 2–10 mm, margins revolute and closely undulate, faces concolor, greenish, loosely tomentose, stipitate-glandular.

Involucres

broadly campanulate, 5–6 mm.

turbinate to short-cylindric, 5–6 mm.

Pistillate florets

66–85.

38–62.

Bisexual florets

(6–14, California)29–44.

2–7.

Phyllaries

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

in 4–5 series, usually pinkish, sometimes white or greenish (hyaline, dull), ovate to ovate-oblong, loosely tomentose (bases).

Heads

in corymbiform arrays.

usually in paniculiform (broadly columnar or at least as long as broad, sometimes pyramidal) arrays.

Cypselae

ridged, smooth.

ridged, smooth.

2n

= 28.

= 28.

Pseudognaphalium leucocephalum

Pseudognaphalium ramosissimum

Phenology Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Nov(–Dec). Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Sandy or gravelly slopes, stream bottoms, arroyos, areas of oak-sycamore, oak-pine, to pine woodlands, commonly in riparian vegetation Dry, open slopes, sparsely wooded, sandy fields, dunes
Elevation 50–2100 m (200–6900 ft) 20–600 m (100–2000 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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county 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.)

Source FNA vol. 19, p. 423. FNA vol. 19, p. 425.
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. microcephalum, P. obtusifolium, P. pringlei, P. roseum, P. saxicola, P. stramineum, P. thermale, P. viscosum
Synonyms Gnaphalium leucocephalum Gnaphalium ramosissimum
Name authority (A. Gray) Anderberg: Opera Bot. 104: 147. (1991) (Nuttall) Anderberg: Opera Bot. 104: 147. (1991)
Web links