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| Felt-leaf Everlasting (Wright's Cudweed;Pseudognaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum) in Mother Nature's Backyard |
The native plants of western Los Angeles County
include a number of species with pale green, gray and white foliage. These plants provide welcome texture and
color to local gardens; one could design
an interesting garden based on foliage contrasts alone. One of the lightest colored foliage plants
is the Felt-leaf Everlasting, Pseudognaphalium
canescens. It’s blooming now in
Mother Nature’s Backyard.
Our local subspecies, Pseudognaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum,
is common from central California to
Baja California, Mexico. It usually
grows in the southern coastal prairie, chaparral,
coastal sage scrub, and southern oak woodland plant communities, on dry
slopes and other open spaces at elevations under 4000 ft.
Several other subspecies are
found throughout California, including in the San Gabriel Mountains of inland
Los Angeles County.
Pseudognaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum
has several common names: Wright’s Cudweed,
San Diego Rabbit-tobacco and Felt-leaf Everlasting. We prefer the latter because it best
describes this lovely plant. Along with related species in the Sunflower
family (Asteraceae), Felt-leaf
Everlasting has been the subject of recent taxonomic debate. Formerly classified in the genus Gnaphaleum (Gnaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum; Gnaphalium microcephalum), there is still
some debate as to whether the plants currently classed as sub-species of P. canescens might better be regarded as
separate species (e.g. Pseudognaphalium
microcephalum).1
Felt-leaf Everlasting is a biennial or short-lived
perennial in our area. It grows in a
mounded to spreading shape of 2-4+ ft. tall and wide. The stems are primarily stiff but not woody
and the foliage has little fragrance.
The leaves are alternate, simple and lance- or spoon-shaped, becoming
smaller near the tips of stems. The most
conspicuous foliage feature is its color, which ranges from pale green to
almost white depending on light conditions and time of year. The light color is due to dense white hairs
which cover the leaves and stems (see photo below). The hairs are efficient at harvesting
moisture from fog, as seen in the photo.
The flowers are typical for local native
Everlasting species. The flowering
heads, which contain a number of flowers, are narrow and located primarily at
the ends of branches (see photo above). Flowering can occur anytime from summer
through fall. Similar to other plants in
the Sunflower family, Felt-leaf Everlasting has two kinds of flowers:
yellow-green disk flowers (most conspicuous) and small ray flowers. The flowers
are pollinated by small insect pollinators, primarily native bees and flies. The seeds are small and distributed by
wind. The dry bracts remain on the stems
for months – hence the common name ‘Everlasting’. They can be used for floral arrangements.
Felt-leaf everlasting does well in full sun or
part-shade. It grows in a wide range of
soil textures and tolerates soils that range from slightly acidic to alkali (pH
5.0-8.0). It needs winter/spring moisture, but then is very drought
tolerant. An easy plant to grow, it will
re-seed in most gardens. Mature plants
die after 2-3 years and are easily removed in the fall/winter and unwanted
seedlings can be removed in spring (you’ll know them by their distinct white
color). Count on this plant ‘moving
around’ in your garden over time.
Felt-leaf Everlasting is often planted for its
foliage color. It complements other
silver-colored foliage plants and looks particularly nice with the russet tones
of fall Buckwheats. The white foliage looks
fresh with spring wild-flowers and grasses.
The plants will grow around shrubs, filling in open spaces with their
airy foliage.
An added benefit of planting Felt-leaf Everlasting
(and other Everlastings) is its habitat value.
The foliage is an important food source for the American Lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis), a
frequent visitor to local gardens.
Careful inspection of the foliage will tell you if caterpillars are
present. They build distinctive larval
nests from leaves and fuzzy hairs (see photo below). Larvae hide in the nests during the day,
emerging at night and on cloudy days to feed.
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| Distinctive larval nest of American Lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis) larva on Felt-leaf Everlasting |
Felt-leaf Everlasting was formerly used as a cold
remedy by Native Californians. The dried, powdered
leaves were usually inhaled, although a tea from the leaves and inhaled steam
from this tea were also used for colds. Crushed leaves were also used as a poultice or
liniment for skin wounds/sores.
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- For more on the
taxonomy of this species see: http://www.guynesom.com/Pseudognaphaliumther.pdf
We
welcome your comments (below). You can
also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
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