rabbit-tobacco

(Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium)

Conservation Status
rabbit-tobacco
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Rabbit-tobacco is a 6 to 32 tall, erect, annual or winter annual forb that rises usually on a single stem from a taproot and fibrous roots. Winter annual individuals germinate in the late summer or fall, form a rosette of basal leaves which persist through the winter, then send up a stem and complete their life cycle the following year.

The stem is erect, round, unbranched below the middle, and with a few short, ascending branches near the top. Early in the season it is densely covered with short, white, felt-like hairs. Late in the season this white covering of hairs becomes patchy revealing the light green stem beneath.

The leaves are alternate, numerous, stalkless, linear or narrowly lance-shaped, 1 to 4 long, and 1 16 to wide, becoming gradually smaller as they as ascend the stem. The base of the leaf does not clasp the stem and it does not extend downward along the stem. The upper surface is green with sparse stalked glands and sometimes sparse woolly hairs along the midvein. The lower surface is white due to a dense covering of white, woolly hairs. There is a single, prominent, central vein. The margins are untoothed and wavy.

The inflorescence is a broad, branched, dome-shaped corymb with roundish clusters of 1 to 5 flower heads in at the tops of the stems.

The flower heads are narrowly egg-shaped, 3 16 to ¼ long, and about half as wide. The involucre is composed of 4 to 6 overlapping series of white, egg-shaped bracts. Each flower head has 38 to 96 yellowish female flowers surrounding 4 to 8 yellowish male flowers.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

6 to 32

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

White

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Macoun’s cudweed (Pseudognaphalium macounii) leaf bases extend downward along the stem, similar to the sheath of a blade of grass.

Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) has broad flower heads.

Pussytoes (Antennaria spp.) are much shorter plants.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry to moderate moisture. Upland prairies, dry forest openings, bluff tops, savannas, stream and river banks, railroads, fields, roadsides, disturbed sites. Full sun. Sandy soil.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

July to October

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 28, 29, 30.

 
  6/2/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Asteranae  
 

Order

Asterales (sunflowers, bellflowers, fanflowers, and allies)  
 

Family

Asteraceae (sunflowers, daisies, asters, and allies)  
  Subfamily Asteroideae  
  Supertribe Asterodae  
  Tribe Gnaphalieae (paper daisies)  
  Subtribe Gnaphaliinae (cudweeds, everlastings, and pussytoes)  
  Genus Pseudognaphalium (rabbit-tobaccos)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Gnaphalium obtusifolium

Gnaphalium obtusifolium var. obtusifolium

Gnaphalium obtusifolium var. praecox

Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp. obtusifolium

Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp. praecox

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

catfoot

eastern rabbit-tobacco

fragrant cudweed

fragrant everlasting

old-field-balsam

old-field cudweed

rabbit-tobacco

rabbittobacco

sweet everlasting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Bract

Modified leaf at the base of a flower stalk, flower cluster, or inflorescence.

 

Corymb

A flat-topped or convex inflorescence in which the stalked flowers grow upward from various points on the main stem to approximately the same horizontal plane. The outer flowers open first.

 

Involucre

A whorl of bracts beneath or surrounding a flower or flower cluster.

 

Linear

Long, straight, and narrow, with more or less parallel sides, like a blade of grass.

 

Winter annual

A plant whose seeds germinate in late summer or fall, flowers and fruits in the spring or summer of the following year, and then dies.

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this plant.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.
 
 

 

 
 

 

 
           
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Plant

 
    rabbit-tobacco   rabbit-tobacco  
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    rabbit-tobacco   rabbit-tobacco  
           
    rabbit-tobacco      
           
 

Flower Heads

 
    rabbit-tobacco   rabbit-tobacco  

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
 
     
     

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this plant.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

 

 
     
     
       
       
 
Other Videos
 
  Rabbit Tobacco
Darryl Patton
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Nov 8, 2010

Rabbit Tobacco is more traditionally known as a smoke for lung and sinus issues. It is actually a powerful anti-viral which needs to be in every home herbal medicine chest.

   
  Mystery Plant "Rabbit Tobacco"
SouthCarolinaETV
 
   
 
About

Published on Nov 13, 2013

Dr. John Nelson from The USC AC Moore Herbarium and Clemson Extension Agent Vicky Bertagnolli take a look at this mystery plant commonly called "rabbit tobacco."

   
  Sweet Everlasting (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium)
colong7034
 
   
 
About

Published on Sep 15, 2013

Butterflies nectaring on Sweet Everlasting (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium). Although the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail seems to be sleeping! Transylvania County, NC. Shot September 2013

   
  Rabbit Tobacco Waterloo, Alabama
Tommy Price
 
   
 
About

Published on Oct 12, 2012

This is the Rabbit Tobacco used by Native Americans as a tea to dispell viruses and smoked to break p fleam in the lungs andbronchial tubes and used in ceremonies as a blessing.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
   

 

   
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

Binoculars

 

Created:

Last Updated:

© MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved.

About Us

Privacy Policy

Contact Us