FIELD PUSSYTOES
Antennaria neglecta
SUNFLOWER FAMILY (Asteraceae)
Identification
- Flowering time - April, May
- Rare in restored prairies at Neale Woods
- Hairy stem bearing lobulated cluster of white flowers resembling the pads of a cat's foot
- Mats composed of clusters of low lying basal leaves may be only evidence before or after flowering
The small basal leaf rosettes of this native perennial form pale green mats in the early spring prairie before new growth of other plants has emerged (C). Leaves are less than 2 inches long and covered with fine white hairs underneath. There is just a single vein on the upper side of the leaf. Hairy flower stalks from 2-8 inches tall with sparse, narrow, alternate leaves arise from some of the rosettes. At the top is a lobulated cluster of white unisexual disk flowers (A,B). The reddish anthers in the photo indicate our group is male (staminate). Female flowers (not shown) are fluffier, somewhat resembling a miniature shaving brush. The fruit is a small, brown seed with an attached tuft of white hairs enabling dispersal by the wind.
Found on dry prairie and open woodland sites, flowering in April and May. This plant is rare at Neale Woods where a single colony has been found in Knull Prairie. Marjorie Garabrandt, in her 1988 list of plants in Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods, mentions a voucher specimen from Fontenelle Forest collected in 1953, but none have been found since.
This unusual plant is easy to identify when the white flower heads resembling cat’s paws are present. When not in flower, clusters of basal leaves may often be the only clue to this plant’s presence (C).
The common name derives from the resemblance of the flower clusters to the pads of a cat’s toes.
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