Vascular Plants of North Carolina

Vascular Plants of North Carolina

Account for Fragrant Rabbit-tobacco - Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium (L.) Hilliard & Burtt

Members of Asteraceae:

Section 6 » Order Asterales » Family Asteraceae

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Author	(L.) Hilliard & Burtt
Distribution	Throughout the state, including the Outer Banks. Among the most widespread of NC plants. Newf. to Ont., south to FL and TX.
Abundance	Generally common to very common, even locally abundant, throughout.
Habitat	Dry open areas of a wide variety: roadsides, trailsides, fields, powerlines, yards, clearcuts, open woodlands, glades, rock outcrops, woodland margins, forest margins, openings in maritime forests. Seldom found under appreciable shade.
Phenology	Flowering and fruiting August-October.
Identification	Fragrant Rabbit-tobacco is a very familiar plant that grows 1-3 feet tall, the stems white with short cottony hairs. Leaves are narrow, lance-shape, without stalks, green above and white with short cottony hairs beneath. The inflorescence is dome-shaped or sometimes rather flat-topped. Heads are roundish or ovate and whitened with hairs. Heller's Rabbit-tobacco (P. helleri) and Delicate Rabbit-tobacco (P. micradenium) have much duller, less white hairs that are mixed with stalked glands, and are essentially restricted to the Piedmont. If in doubt, squeeze the stem; if sticky, it is one of the two scarce Piedmont species. These species also have greenish colored stems, not whitish.
Taxonomic Comments	Formerly named as Gnaphalium obtusifolium.
Other Common Name(s)	Rabbit-tobacco, Sweet Everlasting, Old Field Balsam, Eastern Rabbit-tobacco, Fragrant Cudweed
State Rank	S5
Global Rank	G5
State Status
US Status
USACE-agcp
USACE-emp

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Photo Gallery

photographer	comments	photo_link	county	obsType
B.A. Sorrie	Sandhills Game Land, dry longleaf-wiregrass, Aug 2014.		Scotland		Photo_natural