''Antennaria'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

, native to temperate regions of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

, with a few species (''A. chilensis'', ''A. linearifolia'', ''A. sleumeri'') in temperate southern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

; the highest species diversity is in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Common names include catsfoot or cat's-foot, pussytoes and everlasting. Different ''Antennaria'' species reach between 10 cm and 50 cm in height. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are basal and often stem leaves. The name ''Antennaria'' refers to the projecting

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s seen on the male

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s of some species, resembling

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

antennae. ''Antennaria'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including ''

Vanessa virginiensis The American painted lady or American lady (''Vanessa virginiensis'')Coleophora pappiferella ''Coleophora pappiferella'' is a moth of the family Coleophoridae found in Europe. Description The wingspan is 11–14 mm. ''Coleophora pappiferella'' can only be reliably identified by dissection and microscopic examination of the genitali ...

'' (which feeds exclusively on ''A. dioica''), '' Schinia verna'' (which feeds on several ''Antennaria'' species).

Selected species

Hybrids

*''Antennaria'' × ''erigeroides'' Greene (pro sp.) *''Antennaria'' × ''foliacea'' Greene (pro sp.) *''Antennaria'' × ''macounii'' Greene (pro sp.) *''Antennaria'' × ''oblancifolia'' E.Nels. (pro sp.)

Gallery

File:Antennaria_dioica.jpg, ''Antennaria dioica'' File:Antennaria neglecta runners.JPG, Field pussytoes (''Antennaria neglecta'') in spring, with flowerbuds and runners

References

External links

Flora Europaea: ''Antennaria''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q602788 Asteraceae genera Dioecious plants