Antennaria plantaginifolia

pussytoes or mouse ears

Antennaria plantaginifolia, commonly called pussytoes, plantain-leaved pussytoes, plantain-leaved everlasting and ladies' tobacco, is a Missouri native perennial which typically grows in acid soils on dry or rocky slopes, prairies and glades throughout the eastern United States. It is a stoloniferous, mat-forming, woolly plant, with all of the leaves and flower stalks being woolly and grayish. Somewhat non-showy, fuzzy, whitish flower heads tinged with pink bloom in spring. Flowers are crowded into terminal clusters (corymbs) atop small-leaved flowering stems rising to 10" high from a basal rosette of paddle-shaped leaves (to 3" long). Plants are dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants), with male flowers typically appearing on shorter flower stalks. -Missouri Botanical Garden

Additional pollinator information via Native Habitat Restoration in Western Wisconsin, Prairie Haven.

	Great groundcover with silver green foliage
	Loves rocky, gritty, and tough lean soils
	Plants spread by stolons creating solid clumps

Looking for a tough groundcover that thrives in full sun, dry, and lean soils? Need it to be low-growing with an attractive but discrete foliage? Then, look no further. Antennaria plantaginifolia fills that niche with style. Native to the eastern United States, this little plant is great in an open woodland edge, rocky slope, rock gardens, or prairie.

SIZE
Antennaria plantaginifolia - 32 per flat	Availability

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Height

6-12 in

Spread

8-12 in

Bloom Color

White

USDA Hardiness Zone 3-8

pussytoes Interesting Notes

Commonly called pussytoes because of the supposed resemblance of each tight flower cluster to the pads or toes of a cat's paw.

This plant is proving itself to be a favorite in our Trial Gardens and we can't help but trying to put it everywhere - we're desperate to find where this little guy doesn't thrive. It's performing well in our green walls, as an edge and groundcover in our trial areas, and even in a mixed container!

However, there is some research that Antennaria plantaginifolia has alleopathic tendencies. When trialed, we planted Antennaria around already established perennials and found no difficulty but there may be some trouble establishing other perennials if plants are planted near each other and planted at the same time. Great potential for weed suppression.

Antennaria plantaginifolia Growing and Maintenance Tips

Antennaria thrives with full sun in lean soils that are rocky or gritty in nature. Antennaria has no serious pests or diseases but does not perform well in part sun, moist, humus-rich conditions.