About Antennaria rosea Greene
Antennaria rosea Greene is a herbaceous perennial plant that reaches a height of 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 15+1⁄2 inches). It spreads via a network of short stolons, which it uses for vegetative reproduction, and forms a basal patch of woolly grayish leaves that measure 1 to 4 cm (1⁄2 to 1+1⁄2 in) long. It blooms in early summer, producing an inflorescence that holds a cluster of several flower heads. Each flower head is lined with wide, pointed phyllaries that are often rose in color, the trait that gives the species its scientific name; these phyllaries may also be white, yellowish, or brownish. This species is dioecious, and since most individuals are female, most flower heads contain only pistillate flowers. The fruit it produces is an achene with a body less than 2 millimeters long, paired with a pappus that may be 6 or 7 mm long. This plant often produces fertile seeds, but most individuals in most populations are clones. It is common for A. rosea plants to be fertilized with pollen from other Antennaria species, which can introduce new genes into an A. rosea population and increase the genetic diversity of its clones. The species is polyploid and exhibits apomixis: almost all plants are female and reproduce asexually. Antennaria rosea is widespread across much of Canada, including all three of Canada's Arctic territories, as well as Greenland, the western and north-central United States, and the Mexican state of Baja California. It grows in a wide range of habitats, spanning from dry to wet climates and from low elevation to very high elevation. It is a highly morphologically diverse species, so individual plants can look very different from one another. In the United Kingdom, A. rosea has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Recognized subspecies of Antennaria rosea are Antennaria rosea subsp. arida (E.E.Nelson) R.J.Bayer, Antennaria rosea subsp. confinis (Greene) R.J.Bayer, Antennaria rosea subsp. pulvinata (Greene) R.J.Bayer, and Antennaria rosea subsp. rosea.
