Antennaria corymbosa
Flat top pussytoes
(c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Antennaria corymbosa (Flat top pussytoes) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by black-brown spotted phyllaries.
Flat top pussytoes is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in moist meadows and streamsides at elevations of 1,900 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white flower heads with distinctly black-brown spotted phyllaries, clustered in small cymes of 3 to 7 heads. Growing with slender stems 6 to 15 centimeters tall and spreading horizontal stolons up to 10 centimeters long, it forms low-growing patches. Its basal leaves are spoon-shaped, 18 to 22 millimeters long, and covered in a grayish felt-like tomentose surface. The plant produces small fruits about 0.5 to 1 millimeter long with a delicate white pappus.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 10 sympatric species - key feature is black-brown spotted phyllaries
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist meadows, streamsides
Elevation: 1900-3200 m
Outside California: to Washington, Montana, New Mexico
Bloom period
Antennaria corymbosa blooms Jun-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Pseudognaphalium: Antennaria forms low cushions with persistent basal rosettes; Pseudognaphalium grows erect to 200 cm without basal rosettes.; vs Eriogonum: Antennaria has papery-bracted flower heads in the Asteraceae; Eriogonum has showy flowers with papery bracts in the buckwheat family.; vs Anaphalis: Antennaria maintains its basal leaf rosette during flowering; Anaphalis has withered basal leaves with longer, uniform stem leaves.; vs Centaurea: Antennaria has tiny woolly heads (3-9mm) in low cushions; Centaurea has much larger flower heads (15-40mm) on tall stems.; vs Petrophytum: Antennaria has papery-bracted flower heads; Petrophytum has dense spikes of small rose-family flowers with 5 separate petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Antennaria corymbosa native to California?
Yes. Antennaria corymbosa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Antennaria corymbosa bloom?
Antennaria corymbosa blooms Jun-Aug.
What plant family does Antennaria corymbosa belong to?
Antennaria corymbosa is in the Asteraceae family, genus Antennaria.
What habitat does Antennaria corymbosa grow in?
Antennaria corymbosa grows in Moist meadows, streamsides.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.