Pseudognaphalium biolettii (two-color rabbit tobacco)

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Pseudognaphalium spp.

rabbit-tobaccos

Asteraceae

Americas and other temperate and warm regions

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant Fragrant (light)

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 3–9

Overview

Pseudognaphalium spp. is a genus of about 90 species of annual, biennial, and short-lived perennial herbs in the daisy family (Asteraceae), called rabbit-tobacco, cudweed, or everlasting. Plants form upright stems 8 to 36 in (20 to 90 cm) tall, covered along with the leaves in dense white or grey woolly hairs that give the whole plant a felted, silvery look. The narrow leaves are stalkless and often run down the stem as narrow wings. The small flower heads cluster at the stem tips and consist of papery, straw-colored to white bracts surrounding tiny disk florets, with no spreading ray petals; the dry bracts hold their shape and color long after the flowers fade. Many species give off a sweet, tobacco-like or maple scent when the foliage is crushed or dried. The genus is widespread in dry, open, disturbed ground, fields, roadsides, and clearings across the Americas and other temperate and warm regions. The seeds are small and wind-dispersed by a tuft of bristles. Pseudognaphalium spp. is a weedy colonizer of poor soil rather than a cultivated plant, and several species serve as larval hosts for butterfly caterpillars.

Native Range

Pseudognaphalium spp. is widespread across the Americas, from Canada through the United States to South America, with additional species in Eurasia, Africa, and the Pacific. It grows in dry fields, roadsides, sandy clearings, and other open disturbed ground.

Suggested Uses

Pseudognaphalium spp. is used in dried and everlasting flower arrangements for its papery bracts and lasting scent, and it appears in meadow and restoration plantings on poor soils. Several species support butterfly caterpillars as larval host plants and appear in wildlife and pollinator plantings.

How to Identify

Look for upright stems and narrow leaves coated in dense white to grey woolly hairs that give a felted, silvery surface. The stem tips carry clusters of small papery flower heads with straw-colored to white bracts and no spreading ray petals. Crushed or dried foliage often smells sweet, like tobacco or maple syrup. The dry, everlasting bracts keep their shape for weeks.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8" - 3'

Width/Spread6" - 1'6"

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Summer Fall

Pseudognaphalium spp. flowers from late summer into autumn, roughly August to October in much of its range. The papery flower clusters open over several weeks and hold their straw-colored bracts long after the tiny florets fade. Wind-borne seed follows.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

grey-green, white-woolly

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand rocky loam

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

1-2 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Pseudognaphalium spp. grows in full sun on dry, lean, sandy, or gravelly soil at pH 5.5 to 7.5 and colonizes poor, disturbed ground that many plants avoid. It needs sharp drainage and fails in rich, moist, or shaded sites. The woolly coating helps it tolerate heat, drought, and bright exposure. Annual and biennial species complete their cycle in one or two years and rely on seed to return, so they are seldom cultivated and instead appear on their own. Plants need no feeding or watering once established.

Pruning

Pseudognaphalium spp. is not usually pruned. Stems with mature flower heads are cut and hung to dry for everlasting arrangements, and spent plants are pulled once seed has set. Removing flower heads before seed ripens limits self-sowing.