Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Antennaria microphylla
Introductory
SPECIES: Antennaria microphylla
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Antennaria microphylla. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/antmic/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
ANTMIC
SYNONYMS :
Antennaria rosea Rydb. [12,13,16,28]
Antennaria arida Nels. [13,14]
Antennaria nitida Greene [30]
Antennaria bracteosa Rydb. [30]
Antennaria solstitialis Lunell [30]
SCS PLANT CODE :
ANMI3
COMMON NAMES :
littleleaf pussytoes
dwarf everlasting
pink pussytoes
rosy pussytoes
small pussytoes
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for littleleaf pussytoes is Antennaria
microphylla Rydb. [13,14,16,28]. Antennaria is a taxonomically complex
genus due to a high degree of apomixis, polyploidy, and hybridization.
Antennaria microphylla is a highly variable species and many segregates
have been named, although none appear to warrant taxonomic recognition
[12]. Littleleaf pussytoes is often confused with A. rosea Greene because of
frequent hybridization. These two species have been treated as the same
entity by some authorities, but it has recently been determined that
they are taxonomically distinct [30]. Littleleaf pussytoes also frequently
hybridizes with umbrinella pussytoes (A. umbrinella) [16,30] and alpine
pussytoes (A. alpina) [16].
LIFE FORM :
Forb
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Antennaria microphylla
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Littleleaf pussytoes is distributed from Alaska east to Ontario and south to
California, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nebraska [1,12,13,16,28].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES19 Aspen - birch
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES44 Alpine
STATES :
AK AZ CA CO ID MN MT NE NV NM
ND OR SD UT WA WY AB BC MB ON
SK YT
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K016 Eastern ponderosa forest
K017 Black Hills pine forest
K018 Pine - Douglas-fir forest
K019 Arizona pine forest
K020 Spruce - fir - Douglas-fir forest
K021 Southwestern spruce - fir forest
K022 Great Basin pine forest
K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K024 Juniper steppe woodland
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K050 Fescue - wheatgrass
K051 Wheatgrass - bluegrass
K052 Alpine meadows and barren
K055 Sagebrush steppe
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K068 Wheatgrass - grama - buffalograss
SAF COVER TYPES :
16 Aspen
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
210 Interior Douglas-fir
213 Grand fir
217 Aspen
218 Lodgepole pine
220 Rocky Mountain juniper
237 Interior ponderosa pine
238 Western juniper
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Some species associated with littleleaf pussytoes in sagebrush or grassland
habitats include Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), rough fescue
(Festuca scabrella), needle-and-thread grass (Stipa comata), bluebunch
wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum
smithii), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), Sandberg bluegrass (Poa
secunda), prairie junegrass (Koeleria cristata), cheatgrass (Bromus
tectorum), threadleaf sedge (Carex filifolia), lupine (Lupinus spp.),
western yarrow (Achillea millefolium), buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.), phlox
(Phlox spp.), and fleabane (Erigeron spp.) [3,8,25,26].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Antennaria microphylla
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Littleleaf pussytoes is eaten by Columbia ground squirrels [17], but is
generally of low forage value [3].
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Littleleaf pussytoes does not survive mechanical scarification but can
colonize bare scarified soil. Herbaceous layers dominated by littleleaf
pussytoes in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)/pinegrass
(Calamagrostis rubescens) habitat types in central Idaho occur on
scarified, cool, dry sites where the herbaceous layer is depauperate.
Littleleaf pussytoes in this habitat type has the following responses to
different silvicultural practices: a minor increase in vegetative
growth after clearcutting with no subsequent site preparation; a major
decrease in canopy cover after shelterwood cuts followed by mechanical
scarification; a major decrease in canopy cover and a minor increase in
seedling establishment after clearcutting followed by mechanical
scarification; and a minor decrease in canopy cover after wildfire and
after clearcutting followed by broadcast burning [22].
Littleleaf pussytoes is often present in trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)
stands heavily grazed by cattle and deer in Wyoming [6]. Under light to
moderate grazing in central Idaho, it dominates the herbaceous layer of
Douglas-fir/ pinegrass habitat types [22]. Pussytoes (Antennaria spp.)
generally increase in response to grazing [26].
The herbicide 2,4-D caused light damage (1-33% kill) to littleleaf pussytoes
when it was sprayed on nearby sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) [4].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Antennaria microphylla
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Littleleaf pussytoes is a stoloniferous, mat-forming, perennial forb. Stems
are generally 1.6 to 12 inches (4-30 cm) tall. Leaves are spoon-shaped
or narrowly oblong and simple, alternate, and mostly basal. Cauline
leaves are reduced upwards. The inflorescence is a congested to open
cyme with 2 to 13 heads. The fruit is an achene 0.03 to 0.05 inch
(0.08-0.12 cm) long [12,16,28]. Stolons are usually 0.4 to 2 inches
(1-5 cm) long [1].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Littleleaf pussytoes reproduces from seed or spreads vegetatively through
stolons. Seeds are light and wind dispersed. They are generally
not stored in soil seedbanks [22]. Littleleaf pussytoes is dioecious [1,16].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Littleleaf pussytoes is found in dry, open habitats including plains, hills,
open woods, and dry meadows [9,12,13]. It is found at elevations
of 6,000 to 11,400 feet (1,830-3,450 m) in Utah and 5,000 to 11,000 feet
(1,500-3,300 m) in Colorado [13,28]. In west-central Montana, littleleaf
pussytoes is found from the valley floor to alpine zones [16].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Littleleaf pussytoes is found in disturbed areas as well as stable climax
communities. It was present on thin mud and tephra in the first 2 years
following the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington [29].
It invades heavily grazed sagebrush-grassland communities in Nevada
[25]. In central Idaho littleleaf pussytoes is a major early seral species in
subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa)/beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) habitat
types [21] and a prominent mid-seral species in Douglas-fir/pinegrass
habitat types, where it persists beneath a partial canopy [22]. It also
occurs in seral and climax trembling aspen communities in Utah [18].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Littleleaf pussytoes flowers from the end of May to July [5,12].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Antennaria microphylla
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Littleleaf pussytoes colonizes bare mineral soil from light, wind-dispersed
seed [21,22].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Antennaria microphylla
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Littleleaf pussytoes is probably killed by moderate or severe fires. However,
no marked littleleaf pussytoes plants were killed by low-severity spring or
fall prescribed fires in mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata
spp. vaseyana)/rough fescue (Festuca scabrella), mountain big
sagebrush/Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratense), or Douglas-fir/mountain big
sagebrush vegetation types in the Helena National Forest, Montana [20].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
The response of littleleaf pussytoes to fire probably depends on site
characteristics and fire severity. It is a major early seral species
following fires in subalpine fir/beargrass habitat types in central
Idaho [21]. Littleleaf pussytoes was first observed in postfire year 3
following the severe Sundance Forest Fire in northern Idaho [23]. In
Douglas-fir stands in the Deerlodge National Forest, Montana, littleleaf
pussytoes decreased 22.5 percent in the first 2 postfire years after
spring fires [7]. In sagebrush habitats in Idaho littleleaf pussytoes
decreased the first years following September prescribed fires, but then
increased and regained much of its original cover. Production was
greater on lightly burned or moderately burned sites than on either
unburned or severely burned sites 15 years after the fires [3].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Antennaria microphylla
REFERENCES :
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microphylla, A. parvifolia, A. rosea, and A. umbrinella. Plant
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