Antennaria Gaertner

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1976, Flora Europaea. Volume 4. Plantaginaceae to Compositae (and Rubiaceae), Cambridge University Press : 131

26. Antennaria Gaertner 2

Dioecious, usually tomentose perennial herbs, with basal leafrosettes and erect, simple, leafy, flowering stems with a terminal cluster of 1—8(—12) shortly pedunculate, small capitula. Involucral bracts in several rows, erect in fruit. Receptacle flat, without scales. Female florets filiform-tubular; functionally male florets tubular; pappus-hairs in several rows, those of the functionally male florets conspicuously thickened above.

Sexual or apomictic; in the latter case often only the female plants are known. In the sexual species 1 and 5, little taxonomic importance is usually attached to widely differing amounts of tomentum on the leaves; in the apomictic species 3 and 4 such variation appears to have a phytogeographical and cytological significance.

Short glandular hairs are usually present but are often concealed by the tomentum.

Literature: K. Urbańska-Worytkiewicz, Ber. Geobot. Inst. Rübei (Zürich) 40: 79-166 (1970).

1 Caespitose; stolons absent; basal leaves oblanceolate to linear

2 Male florets cream-coloured, with purple anthers; pappus exceeding styles by less than 1-75 mm at maturity

5. carpatica 2 Male florets purplish, with yellow anthers; pappus exceeding styles by more than 1-75 mm at maturity 6. vinifera 1 Mat-forming; short stolons present; basal leaves obovate to oblanceolate-spathulate

3 Basal leaves densely tomentose beneath

4 Upper half of involucral bracts broadly obovate or oblongobovate, white or pink, petaloid 1. dioica 4 Upper half of involucral bracts lanceolate, dark greenishbrown 3. alpina 3 Basal leaves not densely tomentose beneath

5 Upper half of involucral bracts broadly obovate or oblongobovate, white or yellowish, petaloid 2. nordhageniana 5 Upper half of involucral bracts lanceolate, dark greenishbrown 4. porsildii