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Stone, Robert L.

Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp. obtusifolium

Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium (L.) Hilliard & B.L. Burtt ssp. obtusifolium

Blunt-leaf Rabbit-tobacco, Rabbit Tobacco, Sweet Everlasting, Fragrant Cudweed

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Synonym(s): Gnaphalium obtusifolium

USDA Symbol: PSOBO

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

Annual or winter annual (establishing late in the season and over-wintering to flower the following year) with one to several white, woolly, stiffly erect stems, branching above. 1 - 3 ft. tall. Narrow stem leaves and a round-topped inflorescense composed of many flower heads with papery bracts. Flowers are small and white, quickly becoming brown.

From the Image Gallery

14 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.
Fruit: Fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae). Though technically incorrect, the fruit is often referred to as an achene.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CT , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV
Canada: NB , NS , PE
Native Distribution: P.E.I. to Ont., s. to Gulf Coast States
Native Habitat: Dry clearings; woodland edges; fields

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil Description: Various mostly dry soils.

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: American lady

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

American Lady
(Vanessa virginiensis)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Commercially Avail: yes

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0636 Collected Oct 31, 1993 in Bexar County by Mike Fox

1 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Bibliography

Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

From the Archive

Wildflower Newsletter 1990 VOL. 7, NO.5 - Naturalistic Landscaping Takes Careful Planning, Director\'s Report, Breaking th...

Additional resources

USDA: Find Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp. obtusifolium in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp. obtusifolium in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp. obtusifolium

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-01-06
Research By: TWC Staff

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