Gnaphalium obtusifolium
(Rabbit Tobacco)

Other pictures of this plant:


               Seedpod                                           Leaf                                            Stem                                        Seed                                          Habit

Facts About this Plant:

    Common Names: Rabbit Tobacco, White Balsam, Sweet Everlasting, Eastern Rabbit Tobacco
    Synonyms: Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
    Lifespan: Annual
    Zones: N/A
    Type: Forb
    Bloom Time: June - October
    Status: Native
    Range:

Gnaphalium obtusifolium, or Rabbit Tobacco, is native to the eastern and central United States. It is an annual, and grows in dry, sandy fields, prairies, and open woods and along roadsides and railroads. It often germinates in fall and overwinters as a rosette of fuzzy white leaves. The plants have an aromatic quality to them.

There are several species of Gnaphalium in the US. Only several are covered here at this time - more will be added at a later time. Gnaphalium obsutifolium has a white substance on its leaves that almost looks like powder or mildew - this sets it apart from many other plants it could be confused with, but Gnaphalium helleri and Gnaphalium macounii are both very similar, and have a similar distribution. Gnaphalium helleri looks very similar, but lacks the white mildewy look of the leaves and has just green leaves; meanwhile, Gnaphalium macounii looks about the same and has the white mildewy look, except that its leaves clasp around the stem, where Gnaphlium obtusifolium does not. The latter two species are pictured below. More images will follow later of other species.

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