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Key to Antennaria

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Show caption*© Gary P. Fleming 1 Flowering stalks with 1 head  Antennaria solitaria

Show caption*© Keith Bradley 1 Flowering stalks with 2 or more heads.

2 Basal leaves prominently 3-5 (-7)-nerved, mostly > 1.5 cm wide.

3 Pistillate involucres 5-7 mm high; pistillate corollas 3-4 mm high; staminate corollas 2-3.5 mm high; basal leaves tomentose on the upper surface; young stolons mostly ascending; staminate and pistillate plants equally common  Antennaria plantaginifolia

3 Pistillate involucres 7-10 mm high; pistillate corollas 4-7 mm high; staminate corollas 3.5-5 mm high; basal leaves tomentose or glabrous on the upper surface; young stolons mostly decumbent; sexual and apomictic populations present.

4 Basal leaves tomentose on the upper surface (becoming glabrate in age); summit of young cauline stem usually glandless  Antennaria parlinii ssp. fallax

4 Basal leaves glabrous or nearly so on the upper surface (even when young); summit of young cauline stem usually with purple glandular hairs  Antennaria parlinii ssp. parlinii

2 Basal leaves prominently 1-nerved (sometimes with 2 additional obscure veins), mostly < 1.5 cm wide.

5 Young and mature basal leaves glabrous on the upper surface; phyllary tips whitish; flags (flat scarious appendages similar to the tips of phyllaries on the tip of the leaf) present on the upper cauline leaves; species apomictic, populations consisting of pistillate plants only  Antennaria howellii ssp. canadensis

5 Young basal leaves pubescent on the upper surface, mature leaves either remaining pubescent or becoming glabrous with age; phyllary tips white, ivory, to light brown; flags present or absent on the upper cauline leaves; species apomictic or sexual.

6 Largest basal leaves < 6.0 mm wide and < 20 mm long; pistillate involucres 4.5-7 mm high; species sexual, populations consisting of both pistillate and staminate plants; [of shale barrens from w. VA northward and westward]  Antennaria virginica

6 Largest basal leaves > 6.0 mm wide and > 20 mm long; pistillate involucres 7-10 mm high; species apomictic or sexual; [collectively of various habitats and more widespread].

7 Middle and upper cauline leaves tipped with flags; mature basal leaves glabrous, young basal leaves pubescent, glabrescent with age; species sexual, populations consisting of both pistillate and staminate plants  Antennaria neglecta

7 Middle and upper cauline leaves blunt or with subulate tips (only those leaves immediately around the corymb with flags); mature and young basal leaves pubescent; species apomictic, populations consisting of pistillate plants only.

8 Basal leaves spatulate, with a distinct petiole; stolons mostly 5-8 cm long, with leaves along the stolon almost equal in size to those of the terminal rosette  Antennaria howellii ssp. neodioica

8 Basal leaves oblanceolate, lacking a distinct petiole; stolons mostly 8-12 cm long, with leaves along the stolon smaller than those of the terminal rosette  Antennaria howellii ssp. petaloidea