Flora of North America species comparison

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Pseudognaphalium leucocephalum

Pseudognaphalium stramineum

white cudweed, white rabbit-tobacco

cotton-batting cudweed, cotton-batting false cudweed, cotton-batting-plant
Habit Biennials or short-lived perennials, 30–60 cm; taprooted. Annuals or biennials, 30–60(–80) cm; taprooted.
Stems

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

(1+ from base, erect to ascending) loosely tomentose, not glandular.
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 (crowded, internodes usually 1–5, sometimes to 10 mm) oblong to narrowly oblanceolate or subspatulate, 2–8(–9.5) cm × 2–5(–10) mm (smaller distally, narrowly lanceolate to linear), bases subclasping, usually not decurrent, sometimes decurrent 1–2 mm, margins flat or slightly revolute, faces concolor, loosely and persistently gray-tomentose, not glandular.
Involucres

broadly campanulate, 5–6 mm.

subglobose, 4–6 mm.
Pistillate florets

66–85.

160–200.
Bisexual florets

(6–14, California)29–44.

[8–]18–28.
Phyllaries

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

in 4–5 series, whitish (often yellowish with age, hyaline, shiny), ovate to oblong-obovate, glabrous.
Heads

in corymbiform arrays.

in terminal glomerules (1–2 cm diam.).
Cypselae

ridged, smooth.

weakly, if at all, ridged (otherwise smooth or papillate-roughened, glabrous, without papilliform hairs; pappus bristles loosely coherent basally, released in clusters or easily fragmented rings).
2n

= 28.

= 28.

Pseudognaphalium leucocephalum

Pseudognaphalium stramineum
Phenology Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Nov(–Dec). Flowering Mar–Oct.
Habitat Sandy or gravelly slopes, stream bottoms, arroyos, areas of oak-sycamore, oak-pine, to pine woodlands, commonly in riparian vegetation Sandy fields, streamsides, washes, swales, dunes, chaparral slopes, roadsides, fields, disturbed places, moist disturbed places
Elevation 50–2100 m (200–6900 ft) 10–1600 m (0–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NC; NE; NM; NV; NY; OK; OR; SC; TX; UT; VA; WA; WY; BC; Mexico; South America
[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.)

Pseudognaphalium stramineum is probably native from South America to western North America; it is adventive in sandy fields on the Atlantic coastal plain, where it flowers May–Aug.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 423. FNA vol. 19, p. 418.
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. ramosissimum, P. roseum, P. saxicola, P. thermale, P. viscosum
Synonyms Gnaphalium leucocephalum Gnaphalium stramineum, Gnaphalium chilense, Gnaphalium chilense var. confertifolium, Gnaphalium gossypinum, Gnaphalium lagopodioides, Gnaphalium proximum, Gnaphalium sulphurescens
Name authority (A. Gray) Anderberg: Opera Bot. 104: 147. (1991) (Kunth) Anderberg: Opera Bot. 104: 148. (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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