Antennaria suffrutescens
Encyclopedia
Antennaria 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 soil
s. This is a perennial herb producing several erect stems up to about 12 centimeters tall from a woody base. The densely packed leaves at the base of the plant are spoon-shaped with notched tips, woolly on the undersides and about a centimeter long. They are evergreen, remaining on the plant through the seasons. The inflorescence
atop each stem bears a single flower head
lined with woolly white phyllaries
with yellow-green bases. The species is dioecious
with female plants bearing slightly larger flower heads containing pistillate
flowers, and male plants producing staminate
flowers. The fruit is an achene
up to a centimeter long, most of which is a long pappus
attached to a small hard body.
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 names evergreen pussytoes and evergreen everlasting. 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 far 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...
, where it grows in coniferous forests in the mountains, sometimes on serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s. This is a perennial herb producing several erect stems up to about 12 centimeters tall from a woody base. The densely packed leaves at the base of the plant are spoon-shaped with notched tips, woolly on the undersides and about a centimeter long. They are evergreen, remaining on the plant through the seasons. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
atop each stem bears a single flower head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
lined with woolly white 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...
with yellow-green bases. The species 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 female plants bearing slightly larger flower heads containing pistillate
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
flowers, and male plants producing staminate
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
flowers. The fruit is an achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
up to a centimeter long, most of which is a long 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...
attached to a small hard body.