Little cottonrose, cotonnière naine

Gnaphalium minimum Smith, Fl. Brit., 873. 1804; Filago minima (Smith) Persoon; Oglifa minima (Smith) Reichenbach f.

Plants 2–20[–30] cm. Stems 1, ± erect, or 2–5, ascending to spreading; branches leafy between proximal forks, remaining grayish, arachnoid-sericeous. Leaves narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, largest 7–10(–12) × 1–1.5(–2) mm, pliant; longest capitular leaves 0.8–1.5 times head heights, acute. Heads in glomerules of 3–7 in mostly dichasiiform, sometimes racemiform or paniculiform arrays, ± pyriform, largest 3–3.5 × 2 mm. Phyllaries usually 5, equal, ± like paleae. Receptacles ± fungiform, mostly 0.3–0.4 mm, heights 0.4–0.6 times diams. Pistillate paleae (except innermost) 8–12 in 1–2 series, ± vertically ranked, saccate, inflexed 70–90° proximally, gibbous, ± galeate, longest 2.6–3.1 mm, distal 15–30% of lengths glabrous abaxially; bodies ± bony, ± terete; wings prominent. Innermost paleae ± 8, spreading in 2 series, pistillate. Pistillate florets: outer 8–12 epappose, inner 18–30+ pappose. Bisexual florets 3–5; corollas 1.6–2.1 mm, lobes mostly 4, brownish to yellowish. Cypselae: outer incurved, proximally ± horizontal, distally erect, compressed, 0.8–0.9 mm; inner papillate; pappi mostly of 13–16 bristles falling in 1s or 2s, 1.8–2.1 mm. 2n = 28 (Byelorussia, former Czechoslovakia, Germany)

Flowering and fruiting Jun–Aug. Ballast dumps (probably temporary), sometimes open disturbed sites away from coast; 0–400 m; introduced; Mass., N.Y., Oreg., Pa.; Eurasia.

Reports of Logfia minima from British Columbia and Washington have not been confirmed by me. A report from California was erroneous. The earliest known specimen from the flora area came from Girard Point, Pennsylvania, in 1878.