Field Pussytoes – Simcoe County Master Gardener

Simcoe County Master Gardeners

Grow Natives!

PLANT PROFILE

COMMON NAME: Field Pussytoes

BINOMIAL: Antennaria neglecta

Family	Asteraceae
Cdn Native Range	all provinces except NL
Natural habitat	fields, prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, dry meadows
Type	herbaceous perennial
Features	tufted white to pale pink flower that resembles cat’s toes; up to 1’ high on single stems
Growth habit	short, spreading ground cover; fuzzy oval silver-gray foliage lays flat on the soil forming a dense carpet
Mature height	15 – 30 cm (6” – 12”)
Mature spread	30 cm (12”)
Life span	3 – 5 years
Cdn Hardiness Zone	3 – 8
Growing conditions	full sun/part sun
Soil conditions	well-draining gritty, rock soils
Watering needs	medium moisture with well-drained soil
Fertilizer needs	none as they prefer poor, lean soil
Tolerance	drought; deer browsing; rabbit browsing
Maintenance rank	minimal
Maintenance needs	cut back stems after blooming
Bloom	May to June; usually blooms in small patches; plants are dioecious.
Fruit	tiny brown seeds on female plants have tufts of white bristles attached at the top of the flower spike in dandelion-like clusters.
Pollinator support	larval host to American lady butterfly, everlasting bud midge, everlasting tebenna moth.
Environmental support	ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail and greater prairie chicken feed on the seeds; white-tailed deer feed on the plants in spring
Garden Use	groundcover for rock gardens, rocky slopes, prairies and meadows
Risks & Cautions	unpalatable to livestock; it is allelopathic and can naturally suppress the growth of nearby grasses