smooth Parlin’s pussytoes

not listed

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

not listed

Smooth Parlin’s pussytoes is an erect, perennial forb that rises on a basal rosette of leaves and a flowering stem from a rhizome and stolons. It can be from 4″ to 17¾″ in height, though it is usually no more than 16″ tall. It often forms colonies.

The stolons are 1⅜″ to 4⅓″ long, densely woolly, and leafy. They recline on the ground with the tips ascending. They root at the nodes, forming new plants.

Basal leaves are spoon-shaped, 1″ to 3¾″ long, and ¾″ to 1¾″ wide. They are rounded or broadly pointed at the tip, and sometimes have a small, abrupt, sharp point at the tip. They taper gradually to the leaf stalk at the base. There are 3 or 5 prominent veins extending from the base to the tip. The upper surface is sparsely hairy to hairless, the hairs when present white, long, matted or tangled, soft, and cobwebby, not woolly. It usually becomes hairless or nearly hairless at maturity. The lower surface is densely covered with white, short, matted or tangled, soft, woolly hairs. The hairiness of the lower surface persists at maturity. The margins are untoothed. Basal leaves are often evergreen.

Stem leaves are alternate, linear to narrowly lance-shaped, and 3 ⁄16″ to 1¾″ long. They taper to a sharp point at the tip and attach to the stem at the base without a leaf stalk. The lowermost leaves are often narrowly inversely egg-shaped. The upper leaves often have a short, hairlike extension of the midvein at the tip. The upper and lower surfaces are densely covered with white, short, matted or tangled, soft, woolly hairs.

The flowering stem can be 3½″ to 17¾″ tall, though it usually reaches no more than 11″ in height. It is erect, sparsely leafy, and sparsely to moderately hairy. It sometimes becomes hairless in patches with age. There are purple glandular hairs near the top of the stem.

The inflorescence is a tight, round-topped cluster of 4 to 12 flower heads at the end of the stem. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. A population of plants may have both male and female plants, or female plants only.

The whorl of bracts (involucre) subtending a flower head on male (staminate) plants is ¼″ to ⅜″ long. The involucre on female (pistillate) plants is 5 ⁄16″ to ½″ long.

The flower heads have 20 to 100 white or pinkish, tubular disk florets and no ray florets. Male florets are ⅛″ to 3 ⁄16″ long. Female florets are ⅛″ to ¼″ long.

The fruit is a small achene with hairs at the tip.

There is no floral scent.

4″ to 17¾″

White to pinkish

Antennaria parlinii is the only pussytoes species in Minnesota with flowering stems that can be more than 13¾″ in height.

Downy Parlin’s pussytoes (Antennaria parlinii ssp. fallax) stems do not have purple glandular hairs near the top of the stem. Basal leaves are moderately or densely hairy on the upper surface. The hairs on the basal leaves woolly, not cobwebby. They become less hairy at maturity, not hairless or nearly hairless.

Field pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) has a shorter flowering stalk, usually no more than 8″ tall. The basal leaves are shorter, no more than 2½″ long, and narrower, less than ¾″ wide. They have only a single prominent vein, occasionally also a faint pair of parallel lateral veins.

Plantain-leaved pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia) stolons tend to be shorter, 1″ to 3″ long. Young stolons are ascending. Basal leaves are moderately or densely hairy on the upper surface. The hairs on the basal leaves woolly, not cobwebby. They become less hairy at maturity, not hairless or nearly hairless. The stems do not have purple glandular hairs near the top of the stem. In pistillate plants the involucre is shorter, 3 ⁄16″ to ¼″ long.

Dry to moderate moisture. Open woods, upland prairies, savannas, bluffs.

April to June

Sources

4, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Uncommon in Minnesota