Flora of North America species comparison

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Pseudognaphalium microcephalum

Pseudognaphalium leucocephalum

felt-leaf everlasting, San Diego rabbit-tobacco, Wright's cudweed

white cudweed, white rabbit-tobacco
Habit Perennials, (30–)50–100 cm; taprooted. Biennials or short-lived perennials, 30–60 cm; taprooted.
Stems

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

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

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.

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.
Involucres

turbinate-campanulate, 5–6 mm.

broadly campanulate, 5–6 mm.
Pistillate florets

29–49.

66–85.
Bisexual florets

5–9.

(6–14, California)29–44.
Phyllaries

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).

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

in loose, corymbiform arrays.

in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

ridged, smooth to weakly papillate-roughened.

ridged, smooth.
2n

= 28.

= 28.

Pseudognaphalium microcephalum

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

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.)

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. 419. FNA vol. 19, p. 423.
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. leucocephalum, P. luteoalbum, P. macounii, P. micradenium, 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. luteoalbum, P. macounii, P. micradenium, P. microcephalum, P. obtusifolium, P. pringlei, P. ramosissimum, P. roseum, P. saxicola, P. stramineum, P. thermale, P. viscosum
Synonyms Gnaphalium microcephalum, Gnaphalium albidum, Gnaphalium canescens subsp. microcephalum, P. canescens subsp. microcephalum Gnaphalium leucocephalum
Name authority (Nuttall) Anderberg: Opera Bot. 104: 147. (1991) (A. Gray) 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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