Gynoecious (staminate plants uncommon). Plants 3–18 cm. Stolons 1–7 cm. Basal leaves: 1-nerved, spatulate to oblanceolate, 6–25 × 2–7 mm, tips mucronate, abaxial faces tomentose, adaxial green-glabrescent to gray-pubescent. Cauline leaves linear, 5–20 mm, at least mid and distal flagged. Heads 2–5 in corymbiform arrays. Involucres: staminate 5–6.5 mm; pistillate 4–7(–10) mm. Phyllaries distally dark brown, black, or olivaceous. Corollas: staminate 3–3.5 mm; pistillate 3.5–5 mm. Cypselae 1–1.8 mm, sparingly papillate; pappi: staminate 3.5–4 mm; pistillate 4.5–6 mm. 2n = 56, 84, 98, 112.

Phenology: Flowering mid–late summer.
Habitat: Dry to moist alpine tundra
Elevation: 100–2400 m

Distribution

Greenland, Alta., B.C., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., Que., Yukon, Alaska, Mont., Wyo., Eurasia.

Discussion

Antennaria alpina is one of the more morphologically variable agamic complexes in the genus. Some taxonomists have argued that true Antennaria alpina does not occur in North America, because none of the North American material exactly matches the type of A. alpina, which is from Lapland (M. O. Malte 1934; A. E. Porsild 1965). If one uses a strict typological species concept, then this is true; I recognize that this species complex is composed of innumerable apomictic clones and am circumscribing a broad species concept for A. alpina. The potential morphologic overlap between the A. media and A. alpina complexes is a major taxonomic problem. The chief difference between members of the two complexes is the presence of prominent flags on cauline leaves in A. alpina and their absence in A. media. Antennaria alpina of North America is gynoecious and characterized by its dark green to black phyllaries and conspicuous flags on the distal cauline leaves. The basal leaves vary from glabrous, as in the type material, to pubescent. The primary progenitors of the A. alpina complex include A. aromatica, A. densifolia, A. friesiana subsp. alaskana, A. friesiana subsp. neoalaskana, A. monocephala subsp. monocephala, and A. pulchella.

Excluded names:

Some Antennaria names are based on early-generation interspecific hybrids, including:

Antennaria ×erigeroides Greene = A. corymbosa × A. racemosa

A. ×foliacea Greene = A. microphylla × A. racemosa

A. ×macounii Greene = A. media × A. umbrinella

A. ×oblancifolia E. E. Nelson = A. racemosa × A. umbrinella

A. ×rousseaui A. E. Porsild = ? A. alpina × A. rosea

References

None.

Facts about "Antennaria alpina"

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Author	Randall J. Bayer +
Basionym	Gnaphalium alpinum +
Common name	Alpine pussytoes +
Elevation	100–2400 m +
Habitat	Dry to moist alpine tundra +
Illustrator	Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey +
Phenology	Flowering mid–late summer. +
Reference	None +
Synonym	Antennaria alpina canescens +, Antennaria alpina porsildii +, Antennaria alpina cana +, Antennaria alpina compacta +, Antennaria alpina glabrata +, Antennaria alpina intermedia +, Antennaria alpina stolonifera +, Antennaria alpina ungavensis +, Antennaria arenicola +, Antennaria atriceps +, Antennaria bayardi +, Antennaria boecheriana +, Antennaria brevistyla +, Antennaria brunnescens +, Antennaria cana +, Antennaria canescens +, Antennaria canescens porsildii +, Antennaria canescens pseudoporsildii +, Antennaria columnaris +, Antennaria compacta +, Antennaria confusa +, Antennaria crymophila +, Antennaria foggii +, Antennaria friesiana compacta +, Antennaria glabrata +, Antennaria intermedia +, Antennaria labradorica +, Antennaria longii +, Antennaria media compacta +, Antennaria pallida +, Antennaria pedunculata +, Antennaria porsildii +, Antennaria sornborgeri +, Antennaria stolonifera +, Antennaria subcanescens +, Antennaria ungavensis +, Antennaria vexillifera + and Antennaria wiegandii +
Taxon name	Antennaria alpina +
Taxon parent	Antennaria +
Taxon rank	species +
Volume	Volume 19 +