Gnaphalium microcephalum Nutt.                                                           =Gnaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Native   White Everlasting

                                       October Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Biennial or short-lived perennial, 5-10 (-15) dm. high, permanently densely white-tomentose throughout, loosely branched; lvs. oblanceolate to spatulate, 2-5 cm. long, 4-10 mm. wide, sessile; panicle corymbose, the heads in small clusters at the ends of the branches; invol. 5-6 mm. high; phyllaries whitish, the outer ovate, the inner oblong, ca. twice as long as broad.

Habitat:  Dry slopes and open places, below ca. 4000 ft.; largely Chaparral; n. L. Calif. to cent. Calif. July-Oct.

Name:  Greek, gnaphalon,  lock of wool, these plants floccose-woolly.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 169).  Greek, mikros, small and kephale, head.  (Jaeger 50,155).  Latin, canescens, becoming gray.  (Jaeger 45).  The species name, microcephalum, probably refers to the numerous small corymbose flower heads. (my comment).

General:  Occasional in the study area.  Photographed on the bluffs near the west side of the Delhi Ditch and along Back Bay Dr. (my comments). .      Indians used Gnaphalium spp. leaves and fls. for medicine.  The whole plant was used as a disguise in deer hunting.  (Heizer and Elsasser 246).

Text Ref:  Abrams, Vol. IV 469; Jepson 1067; Hickman, Ed. 271; Munz, Calif. Flora 1259; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 170.

Photo Ref:  Feb 3 83 # 14,16; May 5 83 # 19,20; April 1 84 # 19; July 1 84 # 2; Sept 1 86 # 6.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.  

First Found: February 1983.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 175.

Have plant specimen

Last edit 5/8/05.  

                                 July  Photo                                                                         October Photo