Antennaria parlinii ssp. fallax - Parlin's Pussytoes

Sizes available: HPP quart

Basics: zones 3-8 (some say 5-9), 6-12" x 9-18", full sun to part shade, early spring bloom, white with a pale grey cast, fuzzy, with woolly, silvery-grey foliage, dry to medium moisture, good drainage, can grow on lean, rocky, sandy and/or shallow soils. Dioecious. 

Common names: Parlin's Pussytoes, Ladies Tobacco, Big-head Pussy Toes, Deceitful Pussytoes, Large Plantain-leaved Pussytoes

Family: Asteraceae

Origin/Distribution: Occurs from Maine, east to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, south to Georgia, west to Texas, and north to Minnesota and South Dakota. This plant is under threat in Canada north and east of Maine. Native to Maine.

Habitat: lean clearings, field edges, roadsides, and open woodlands

More: Excellent ground cover and a larval host for the American Painted Lady butterfly, Vanessa virginiensis, a migratory native in Maine. Parlin's Pussytoes is found growing in association with Agalinis tenuifolia, Slender-leaved Agalinus,  Danthonia spicata, Poverty Oatgrass, Schizachyrium scoparium, Little Bluestem, Liatris novae angliae var. novae angliae, Northern Blazing Star, and Quercus alba, Eastern White Oak. All of these plants are native to Maine, and with the exception of the oak, I am growing them from seed for 2026. With a bit of luck on my part and proper siting on your part, you could repeat this scene in your own garden.

Even more: There are at least 17 scientific botanical synonyms for this plant. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is apomixis. Apomixis occurs when plants can reproduce without fertilization and belong to a rapidly evolving group of plants, resulting in distinct and local clones that are often mis-identified as separate species. This process is also common in dandelions and some grasses. Another reason is that early on in Pussytoes' taxonomical naming a few Antennaria species were lumped together as Antennaria plantaginifolia. The variations between closely related (and closely occurring) species can be quite subtle. This combined with a Taxonomist's "style" - either as a Lumper or a Splitter, can lead to either less or more grouping and un-grouping as more information is gathered. 

Source: sown at Honey Petal Plants with seed from Toadshade Wildflower Farm

Image credits: Photo coming soon