Sweet Everlasting, 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

Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium

soo-doh-naf-FAY-lee-um  ob-too-sih-FOH-lee-um

Synonyms of Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium (5) (Updated on 12-3-23 from Plants of the World Online): Gnaphalium conoideum Lam. (1788), Gnaphalium obtusifolium L. (1753), Gnaphalium obtusifolium var. praecox Fernald (1936), Gnaphalium polycephalum Michx. (1803), Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium subsp. praecox (Fernald) Kartesz (1999)(nom. nud.)

Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium (L.) Hilliard & B.L.Burtt is the accepted scientific name for this species. It was named and described as such by Olive Mary Hilliard and Brian Laurence Burtt in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society in 1981. It was first named Gnaphalium obtusifolium by Carl Linnaeus in the second volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.

The genus, Pseudognaphalium Kirp., was named and described as such by Moisey Elevich Kirpicznikov in Trudy Botanicheskogo Instituta Akedemii… in 1950.

As of 12-3-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 101 species in the Pseudognaphalium genus. It is a member of the plant family Asteraceae with 1,702 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

The above distribution map of Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium is from Plants of the World Online. Areas in green are where the species is native and purple is where it has been introduced. The map on the USDA Plants Database is similar and also includes the state of Mississippi. Maybe POWO goofed since their source (FNA) also lists Mississippi

The map on iNaturalist shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations. I post all my observations on iNaturalist.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING. THERE ARE ALSO LINKS TO HELP WITH A POSITIVE ID.

I went to the south hayfield on October 6 (2023) because I needed to have a look and take more photos of a perplexing species for a positive ID. The hayfield is LOADED with Tick Trefoil, so I didn’t want to venture too far and the plants I was looking for were in the front part. I already did that a few days earlier, and I spent almost as long removing the seeds from my pants as the walk took. Well, I kept thinking I could get better photos, so the next thing I knew I had ventured farther than I initially wanted to. I looked toward the blackberry briars where a path had been mowed a few months earlier and noticed what I thought could be a single cluster of Erigeron strigosus with not much around it. SO, I walked through the Tick Trefoil anyway to have a look. Heck, my pants already had plenty. I walked up to the plant and realized it was a totally unique… I took a few photos so I could get an ID… It turned out to be a species I hadn’t seen on the farm before. It always amazes me how new species just pop up, and usually, there is only one plant. This particular plant turned out to be Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium commonly known as Rabbut Tobacco and several other names.

I read a little about it and found out the leaves were supposed to smell like maple syrup. I thought that was pretty neat, so I went back to take more photos and see if I could get a whiff of maple syrup. Yeah, I had already cleaned off my pants, but I thought I needed more practice. I took more photos of the plant but there was no noticeable scent on the flowers and what few upper leaves there were. There were still quite a few dried leaves along the stem, so I pulled off a few and crushed them to see if I could smell anything. Well, there was definitely a faint scent of maple syrup…

I apologize for not writing descriptions of the flowers, leaves, and stems in my own words at the moment. There are several links at the bottom of the page that do a great job with that for now. I just wanted to get this page published so you could see the photos… I will be using descriptions from the Missouri Plants website for now in BOLD.

STEMS: Ascending, to 1 m, typically single from the base but branching upward, moderately to densely woolly, the pubescence sometimes becoming abraded in small patches with age, not appearing glandular, but with sparse glands 0.2-1.0 mm long sometimes present toward the base and hidden under the woolly hairs.

LEAVES: Alternate, simple, sessile, usually numerous. Blades 1-10 cm long, linear to narrowly oblanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, the upper surface usually with sparse, stalked glands and sometimes also with sparse, woolly to cobwebby hairs along the midvein, the abaxial surface typically with dense cobwebby pubescence. Lower leaves typically wilted at anthesis.

INFLORESCENCE: Broad panicles of flowering heads, often rounded or dome-shaped with age. Individual heads usually short-stalked.

HEADS: Discoid, the marginal florets pistillate, the central florets perfect. Involucre 5-8 mm long, narrowly ovoid to cup-shaped, the bracts in 5-7 overlapping series, appressed, oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate or ovate, rounded to bluntly or sharply pointed at the tip, the inner few series sometimes irregularly truncate, with dense, woolly hairs toward the base, usually white to straw-colored, rarely faintly pinkish-or purplish-tinged, shiny. Receptacle flat or somewhat convex, naked.

FLOWERS: Ray flowers absent. Disk flowers minute, creamy white to pale yellow, mostly included within the involucre. Pappus of capillary bristles.

FRUITS: Achenes 0.6-0.9 mm long, narrowly oblong-obovoid, slightly flattened, the surface appearing smooth, yellowish brown to greenish brown, sometimes somewhat shiny.

I will be going back to take more photos and try to collect a few seeds. I would like to scatter them closer to the house so I won’t have to try to find them next season.

Besides adding descriptions in my own words, I will write more about this species and what I have read. Be sure to check out the links below for further reading.

I live on the family farm in Windsor, Missouri in Pettis County (Henry County is across the street, and Benton and Johnson aren’t far away). I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 species of wildflowers (most have pages listed on the right side of the page). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a few horticulturalists I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be variable from location to location, so that can be a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and provide much more information. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com. I would enjoy hearing from you especially if you notice something is a bit whacky.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
TROPICOS (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF MISSOURI (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA (GENUS/SPECIES)
WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
iNATURALIST
MISSOURI PLANTS
MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION
WILDFLOWER SEARCH
ALCHEMY WORKS
ARKANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
BACKYARD NATURE
DAVE’S GARDEN
FLORA OF PENNSYLVANIA
GO BOTANY
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
MARYLAND BIODIVERSITY PROJECT
MINNESOTA WILDFLOWERS
NATIVE PLANTS-CAROLINAS & GEORGIA
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
PFAF (PLANTS FOR A FUTURE)
VIRGINIA WILDFLOWERS

NOTE: The data (figures, maps, accepted names, etc.) may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and even many thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is one of the most reliable and up-to-date plant databases and they make updates regularly. I make updates “at least” once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂