Antennaria
Encyclopedia
Antennaria is a genus
of about 45 species of herbaceous
perennial plant
s in the family Asteraceae
, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
, with one species (A. chilensis) in temperate southern South America
; the highest species diversity is in North America
. Common names include catsfoot or cat's-foot, pussytoes and everlasting.
Different Antennaria species reach between 10 cm and 50 cm in height. The leaves
are basal and often stem leaves. The name Antennaria refers to the projecting stamen
s seen on the flower
s of some species, resembling insect
antennae.
Antennaria species are used as food plants by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including Coleophora pappiferella
(which feeds exclusively on A. dioica) and Schinia verna
(which feeds exclusively on Antennaria spp).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of about 45 species of herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s in the family Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
, with one species (A. chilensis) in temperate southern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
; the highest species diversity is in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Common names include catsfoot or cat's-foot, pussytoes and everlasting.
Different Antennaria species reach between 10 cm and 50 cm in height. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are basal and often stem leaves. The name Antennaria refers to the projecting stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s seen on the flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s of some species, resembling insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
antennae.
Antennaria species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Coleophora pappiferella
Coleophora
Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
(which feeds exclusively on A. dioica) and Schinia verna
Schinia
Schinia, commonly called Flower Moths, is a large genus of moths belonging to the family Noctuidae. The genus has a Holarctic distribution with the vast majority of species being found in North America, many with a very restricted range and larval food plant.-Species Information and Food Plants:...
(which feeds exclusively on Antennaria spp).
Selected species
- Antennaria alpinaAntennaria alpinaAntennaria alpina is a species in genus Antennaria, native to subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and extending south at high altitudes in mountains in Scandinavia, and in the Rocky Mountains south to Montana.It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 15 cm tall, with off-white...
(L.) Gaertn. – Alpine Catsfoot - Antennaria anaphaloides Rydb. – Pearly Pussytoes
- Antennaria arcuata Cronq. – Box Pussytoes
- Antennaria argenteaAntennaria argenteaAntennaria argentea is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name silver pussytoes. It is native to Oregon and northern California and Nevada, where it grows in dry coniferous forests. This is a perennial herb forming a basal patch of woolly grayish oval-shaped leaves...
Benth. – Silver Pussytoes - Antennaria aromatica Evert – Scented Pussytoes
- Antennaria boecheriana A.E.Porsild – Boecher's Catsfoot
- Antennaria carpatica (Wahlenb.) Bluff & Fingerh. – Carpathian Catsfoot
- Antennaria caucasica Boriss. – Caucasian Catsfoot
- Antennaria chilensis Remy – Chilean Catsfoot
- Antennaria corymbosaAntennaria corymbosaAntennaria corymbosa is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name flat-top pussytoes. It is native to parts of northwestern North America from central Canada to California to Colorado, where it grows in moist, cool areas such as mountain meadows and riverbanks...
E. Nels. – Flat-top Pussytoes - Antennaria densifolia Porsild – Denseleaf Pussytoes
- Antennaria dimorphaAntennaria dimorphaAntennaria dimorpha is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name low pussytoes. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Nebraska, where it is generally found in dry areas. This is a small mat-forming perennial herb growing in a...
(Nutt.) Torr. & Gray – Low Pussytoes - Antennaria dioicaAntennaria dioicaAntennaria dioica is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae...
(L.) Gaertn. – Mountain Everlasting - Antennaria eucosma Fern. & Wieg. – Newfoundland Pussytoes
- Antennaria flagellarisAntennaria flagellarisAntennaria flagellaris is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names whip pussytoes and stoloniferous pussytoes...
(Gray) Gray – Whip Pussytoes - Antennaria friesiana (Trautv.) Ekman – Fries' Pussytoes
- Antennaria geyeriAntennaria geyeriAntennaria geyeri is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name pinewoods pussytoes. It is native to the northwestern United States where it grows in woodland and scrub. This is a small perennial herb growing up to about 14 centimeters tall. It produces several erect...
Gray – Pinewoods Pussytoes - Antennaria howelliiAntennaria howelliiAntennaria howellii is a species in the genus Antennaria, native to northern North America from Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern California, Colorado and North Carolina....
Greene (syn. A. canadensis) – Howell's Pussytoes - Antennaria lanata (Hook.) Greene – Woolly Pussytoes
- Antennaria luzuloidesAntennaria luzuloidesAntennaria luzuloides is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name rush pussytoes. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in dry areas, particularly sagebrush scrub. This is a perennial herb growing...
Torr. & Gray – Rush Pussytoes - Antennaria marginata Greene – Whitemargin Pussytoes
- Antennaria mediaAntennaria mediaAntennaria media is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name Rocky Mountain pussytoes. It is native to western North America from Alaska and northwestern Canada to California to New Mexico, where it grows in cold regions such as the alpine climate of high...
Greene – Rocky Mountain Pussytoes - Antennaria microphyllaAntennaria microphyllaAntennaria microphylla is a stoloniferous perennial forb in the Aster family . It grows from with spoon shaped or oblong leaves; it blossoms from late May to July...
Rydb. – Littleleaf Pussytoes - Antennaria monocephala DC. – Pygmy Pussytoes
- Antennaria neglecta Greene – Field Pussytoes
- Antennaria nordhageniana Rune & Rönning
- Antennaria parlinii Fern. – Parlin's Pussytoes
- Antennaria parvifoliaAntennaria parvifoliaAntennaria parvifolia is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names Nuttall's pussytoes and small-leaf pussytoes . It is native to North America, where it occurs throughout much of Canada from British Columbia to Ontario, the western and central United States, and...
Nutt. – Small-leaf Pussytoes - Antennaria plantaginifolia (L.) Richards. – Plantainleaf Pussytoes
- Antennaria porsildii E.Ekman
- Antennaria pulchellaAntennaria pulchellaAntennaria pulchella is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names Sierra pussytoes and beautiful pussytoes...
Greene – Sierra Pussytoes - Antennaria pulcherrima (Hook.) Greene – Showy Pussytoes
- Antennaria racemosaAntennaria racemosaAntennaria racemosa is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name raceme pussytoes. It is native to western North America from British Columbia and Alberta to northern California to Wyoming. It grows in mountain forests, generally in moist, partially shaded areas, and...
Hook. – Raceme Pussytoes - Antennaria roseaAntennaria roseaAntennaria rosea is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name rosy pussytoes. It is native to much of North America, including most of Canada and the western United States. It is a plant of many habitats, from dry to wet climates and low elevation to very high. It is...
Greene – Rosy Pussytoes - Antennaria rosulata Rydb. – Kaibab Pussytoes
- Antennaria soliceps Blake – Charleston Mountain pussytoes
- Antennaria solitaria Rydb. – Singlehead Pussytoes
- Antennaria stenophylla (A.Gray) A.Gray – Narrowleaf Pussytoes
- Antennaria suffrutescensAntennaria suffrutescensAntennaria suffrutescens is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names evergreen pussytoes and evergreen everlasting. It is native to Oregon and far northern California, where it grows in coniferous forests in the mountains, sometimes on serpentine soils...
Greene – Evergreen Everlasting - Antennaria umbrinellaAntennaria umbrinellaAntennaria umbrinella is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names umber pussytoes and brown pussytoes. It is native to western North America from southwestern Canada to the Sierra Nevada and southern Rocky Mountains...
Rydb. – Umber Pussytoes - Antennaria villifera Boriss.
- Antennaria virginica Stebbins – Shale Barren Pussytoes
Hybrids
- Antennaria × erigeroides Greene (pro sp.)
- Antennaria × foliacea Greene (pro sp.)
- Antennaria × macounii Greene (pro sp.)
- Antennaria × oblancifolia E.Nels. (pro sp.)