Antennaria howellii Greene
Howell's pussytoes
Asteraceae (Aster family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #14086)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Antennaria howellii
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Perennial herb with short and leafy or more elongate and nearly naked stolons; stems erect, several, branched above, thinly woolly-hairy, 15-35 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves spoon-shaped to oblanceolate, 20-40 mm long, 6-12 mm wide, 1- to 3-nerved, green above, woolly-hairy below, with sharp, slender tips; stem leaves linear, 12-40 mm long, with or without papery tips.
Flowers:
Heads few to many in a compact inflorescence; involucres of 1 type, these female, 6-10 mm tall, hairy at the base; involucral bracts narrow, abruptly sharp-pointed, light brown, white, cream or sometimes rose at the base; female flowers 4-6.5 mm long.
Fruits:
Achenes elliptic, 1-2 mm long, pappilate; pappus white with hairlike bristles, 6-8 mm long.
Notes:
Bayer (1989) split this species from A. neglecta based on the fact that this complex of apomicts are of hybrid polyploid origin from among many sexual progenitors and to place it with any one of these (i.e., A. neglecta) is not desirable. Two subspecies occur in BC.

1. Basal leaves 1-3 nerved, more than 9 mm wide; upper stem leaves usually without papery tips; involucral bract tips light brown to white.................... ssp. howellii

1. Basal leaves 1-nerved, less than 9 mm wide; upper stem leaves usually with papery tips; involucral bract tips white or cream or sometimes rose at the base....................... ssp. canadensis (Greene) Bayer

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Antennaria howellii

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
976 976 976
Slope Gradient (%)
37 37 37

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

163 163 163
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
2 2 2
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
1
Modal BEC Zone Class
ICH

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

ICH(1)

Habitat and Range

Mesic to dry forests in the montane zone; ssp. howellii frequent throughout most of BC, ssp. canadensis infrequent in N and E BC; N to YT and NT, E to NF and S to VA, AZ and CA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia