Pseudognaphalium obtusifolia (Sweet Everlasting) on 10-6-23, #964-6.
Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. I went to the south hayfield on October 6th to have another look at the Erigeron annuus (Annual Fleabane). I think I have been mistaken, even though I was fairly certain before, in identifying the Erigeron in the south hayfield as E. annuus. Now I am 60/40 in favor of E. strigosus (Daisy Fleabane). GEEZ!
Anyway, this post is not about Erigeron…
I had intended to stay in the front part of the south hayfield to avoid the velcro-like seeds of the Desmodium, but one plant led to another. The next thing I knew my pants were covered AGAIN so it was no use avoiding them any longer. I looked ahead and I spotted something that looked somewhat odd in the distance. It definitely wasn’t an aster of any kind… I was maybe 60 feet from it, so I had to keep going. Right through the Desmodium…
I took a few photos of the top of this weird plant I had never seen before. I wondered how it escaped me before and realized perhaps I was farther out the in the hayfield in this section. This plant was closer to the blackberry jungle in what had been previously mowed earlier in the summer. This path was mowed just before the drought, so it was still fairly short. Here this plant was growing right in plain sight with very little else growing around it. Hmmm…
Once I returned back at the house and removed the unwanted hitchhikers on my pants, I went into the house and turned on the computer. I uploaded the best photo of the mystery plant on iNaturalist and it suggested Pseudognaphalium obtusifolia (Sweet Everlasting).
I did more reading about this species and information said it had a faint scent of maple syrup. Well, I had to check that out and get more photos which led to ANOTHER trip to the south hayfield to get another dose of Tick Trefoil seeds…
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolia (Sweet Everlasting) on 10-6-23, #964-7.
All the lower leaves were dried up, so I squeezed one of the weird fuzzy flowers to see if there was a scent. Well, I didn’t notice any smell at all, so I crushed some of the dried leaves and took another whiff. Well, that time there was definitely a faint scent of maple syrup. Information online says the smell is persistent while others say it is very faint. I didn’t really notice any scent with the upper leaves within the inflorescence…
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolia (Sweet Everlasting) on 10-6-23, #964-9.
I’m not sure I have ever seen more weird flower heads than this… Being a member of the plant family Asteraceae you would expect something completely different. Well, I suppose the same could be said for Erechtites hieraciifolius (Fireweed) and Lactuca species (wild lettuces). They have no ray petals and the disc flowers are barely sticking out of the top. The flowers are surrounded by many layers of tight involucral bracts. This species is similar to that but the bracts (phyllaries) are very wooly…
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolia (Sweet Everlasting) on 10-6-23, #964-10.
In the above photo, what appears to be a flower is not a flower. As the flowers mature, the head swells and the surrounding bracts open up for the seeds to disperse. Hmmm… Maybe I should collect some seeds to sow closer to the house. That way I can avoid walking through the weed seeds this time of the year.
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolia (Sweet Everlasting) on 10-6-23, #964-11.
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolia, pronounced soo-doh-naf-FAY-lee-um ob-too-sih-FOH-lee-um, is a native wildflower to the central to eastern part of the United States and Canada. Besides the common name Sweet Everlasting, it is also known as Blunt-Leaved Rabbit Tobacco, Cat’s Foot, Fragrant Cudweed, Fragrant Everlasting, Fragrant Rabbit Tobacco, Indian Posy, Life-Everlasting, Old Field Balsam, Rabbit Tobacco, Sweet Cudweed, White Balsam, and probably others.
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolia (Sweet Everlasting) on 10-6-23, #964-12.
The Wikipedia page for this species lists what several Native American Tribes used it for in one way or another.
I do have a page for this species which you can view by clicking HERE. There are several links to other websites for proper ID and further reading.
I am always amazed when I find a new species, especially an oddity like this. So far in 2023, I have identified 13 new wildflower species, 4 butterflies and moths, and 4 other insects… Not bad for a very hot and dry summer considering I didn’t hardly go wildflower hunting for a few months (except for around the yard). Two of the wildflower species were photographed in 2018, but they weren’t properly identified this year…
That’s it for this post! As always, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful!
The Belmont Rooster 
That’s a welcome harvest of native species. Your Pseudognaphalium isn’t pseudo at all, but true to itself.
I have a pair of thigh-high rubber boots that I mostly put on for wading in creeks. I’ve also found those tall boots do a great job of keeping the lower half of my body free from beggars’ ticks and other similar annoyances, which are as common in central Texas as it sounds like they are in your area. You might want to don a pair yourself.
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Hello Steve! It was a great find! I have a pair of Dry Shod boots but they certainly don’t help. I had been wondering about hip waders a while back to keep off the pesky seed. I can avoid them in some areas but not all. Having a pair would allow me to go to spots I avoid like the plague. Take care and thanks for the comment!
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When I saw this, it occurred to me I had a still-unidentified plant in my files from east Texas. At first, I thought it might be a variety of snake cotton, but it clearly isn’t. I looked a little farther, and found that it might be Gnaphalium. I think the species is palustre. It’s not shown as native to any part of Texas, but it comes right up to the western border, and I found it in the sort of environment that’s described as typical for it. So, we shall see. Thanks for setting me on what seems to be the right path!
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Hello Linda! That’s great you may have found a Gnaphalium. Some information I read says they like the G. palustre better, but I haven’t checked that species out yet. Keep me posted! Take care and thanks for the comment!
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On the other hand, I may have found Pseudognaphalium obtusifolia myself. We’ll see!
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That would be great!
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What a very interesting plant. Congrats on finding it… 😀
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Hello Sue! It is always great finding a new-to-me species on the farm (or anywhere else for that matter). Take care and thanks for the comment!
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Lovely to reconnect.. 😀
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🙂
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Good detective work. What do you do with the seeds that are removed from your pants?
A few days ago we were walking on a familiar path and spotted an unusual plant. I used iNaturalist to find it was Blackberry Lily. I harvested some seeds and planted them in a spot behind our house.
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Hello Jim! What a great find! I collect seed and “usually” toss them somewhere I think they “might” come up (or where I would like for them to come up). The problem is that it can take time for them to come up, if ever. Blackberry Lily seeds have to go through a stratification process for better germination, so already planting them outside is great. Nature will take care of that process over the winter. Otherwise, you can put seeds in the refrigerator for 4-8 weeks then plant them 1/4″ deep in potting soil to start them inside in the spring. The seeds should come up in about 2 weeks. That could be better than taking a chance on mother nature (success rate?). You can also dig their roots (rhizomes) and plant them like iris. Hmmm… Blackberry Lily are Iris domestica which you know from using iNaturalist. I have never grown or even seen any in person, but they look neat! Like Iris, they will grow just about anywhere as long as the soil is well-draining. The seeds will likely rot if the soil they are in remains wet and cold. Ummm… Info online they can be invasive, but who cares for such a neat plant. Just dig them up and move them where you like them. If you found them where they are abundant, you may just want to dig a few up… Depending where you saw them, I didn’t say that. 🙂 I hope they come up for you. OH, did you want some Castor Oil Plant seeds? I think I could get several hundred if you want. Take care and thanks for the comment!
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How exciting to find a plant you didn’t know was there. I had to chuckle when you said you marched back out to the plant and was covered in seeds again, we have all been there at least once.
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Hello Diane! I knew it would happen… The new plant was worth the effort, though. Take care and thanks for the comment!
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It’s always good to find a new plant, particularly where you hadn’t seen it before. This one, with it’s plethora of names demonstrates why we need Latin names! 🙂
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Hello Simon! It is always great to find a new species on the farm. I agree, we need Latin names and it will be better when they are finished changing them. Take care and thanks for the comment!
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I see reference to new names sometimes but I didn’t know they were changing them – it was bad enough when they changed all the English names of birds. You just have to keep reminding yourself it will be better in the end.
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Birds? GEEZ!
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🙂
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