Native Plants of the Great Lakes
North Branch Restoration Project:
Native Plant and Seed Collection
Antennaria Neglecta / Family:
Asteraceae
Cat's Foot, Swink/Wilhelm #4
FLOWERING: Mid-April to early May.
SEED TIMING: May - June.
HABITAT: Dry prairies and open savannas.
DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES: Up to 8 inches high, but usually
ground-hugging on bare soil. Does not grow in a matrix of other
species. Basal rosette of white, woolly, single-veined leaves. A
central stalk capped with tiny, white flower tufts. Dioecious - male
and female plants are separate. The male plant has compact, globose
heads; female plants have more elongated heads and taller stems.
TO PICK: Stages of flowering and ripe seeds are hard to
tell apart visually. After flowering, the seeds can ripen quickly.
Pull on the white oval seed heads; ripe seeds will come off and
quickly separate into hundreds of tiny seeds with parachutes. |
