Antennaria argentea
Encyclopedia
Antennaria 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 a few centimeters long and many slender erect stems up to 40 centimeters tall. It is dioecious
, with male and female plants producing different types of flowers. Both flower types are clustered in many flower heads
with whitish phyllaries
. The female plants produce fruits which are achene
s with a soft pappus
a few millimeters long.
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...
known by the common name silver pussytoes. It is native to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, where it grows in dry coniferous forests. This is a perennial herb forming a basal patch of woolly grayish oval-shaped leaves a few centimeters long and many slender erect stems up to 40 centimeters tall. It is dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with male and female plants producing different types of flowers. Both flower types are clustered in many flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
with whitish phyllaries
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
. The female plants produce fruits which are achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
s with a soft pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
a few millimeters long.