Omalotheca sylvatica, synonyms including Gnaphalium sylvaticum, is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae.[1] It is commonly known as heath cudweed,[2] wood cudweed, golden motherwort, chafeweed, owl's crown,[3] and woodland arctic cudweed.[4] It is widespread across the temperate Northern Hemisphere, throughout North America and Eurasia.[5] The species was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Gnaphalium sylvaticum.[6]

Omalotheca sylvatica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Omalotheca
Species:
O. sylvatica
Binomial name
Omalotheca sylvatica
(L.) F.W.Schultz & Sch.Bip.
Synonyms[1]
Synonymy
  • Dasyanthus fuscus Bubani, nom. superfl.
  • Dasyanthus sylvaticus (L.) Bubani
  • Filago recta (Sm.) Link
  • Filago sylvatica (L.) Link
  • Gamochaeta sylvatica (L.) Fourr.
  • Gnaphalium alpigenum K.Koch
  • Gnaphalium carpetanum Boiss. & Reut. ex Willk. & Lange
  • Gnaphalium einseleanum F.W.Schultz
  • Gnaphalium fuscatum Schur, nom. illeg.
  • Gnaphalium mutabile Rochel
  • Gnaphalium rectum Sm.
  • Gnaphalium sophiae Heldr. ex Boiss.
  • Gnaphalium spadiceum Gilib., opus utique oppr.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum L.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum subsp. rectum (Sm.) Čelak.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum subvar. pumilum Gaudin
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. acaule Behm
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. alpestre Brügger
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. angustifolium Gaudin
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. atriceps Briq. & Cavill.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. carpetanum Boiss. & Reut. ex Willk.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. citrinum Gaudin
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. latifolium Gaudin
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. minus Godet
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. montanum Neilr.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. nanum Duby ex St.-Lag.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. nigrescens Gren.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. pallidum Schur
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. pediophilum Wimm. & Grab.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. praecox F.W.Schultz
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. rectum (Sm.) Gaudin
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. sericeum Spenn.
  • Gnaphalium sylvaticum var. subarcticum Schur
  • Helichrysum strictum Moench
  • Omalotheca einseleana (F.W.Schultz) F.W.Schultz
  • Omalotheca sylvatica subsp. carpetana (Boiss. & Reut. ex Willk.) Rivas Mart.
  • Omalotheca sylvatica var. carpetana (Boiss. & Reut. ex Willk.) T.Romero Martín & E.Rico
  • Synchaeta silvatica (L.) Kirp.

Description

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It is a perennial herb with short runners, growing to 8 to 60 cm tall. Its leaves are lanceolate in shape, pointed, 2 to 8 cm long, with a single vein. They have no hair on top, but are woolly hairy below. The upper leaves become progressively shorter and narrower. The flower heads are 6 mm long. The bracts of the flower heads have a green centre, and chaffy brown edges. The florets are pale brown. The achenes are hairy with reddish pappus hairs. It flowers from July until September.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Omalotheca sylvatica (L.) F.W.Schultz & Sch.Bip". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  2. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. ^ An illustrated flora of the northern United States: Canada and the British possessions from Newfoundland to the parallel of the southern boundary of Virginia, and from the Atlantic ocean westward to the 102d meridian, Volume 3, 1898, p. 403.
  4. ^ NRCS. "Omalotheca sylvatica". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  5. ^ Altervista Flora Italiana, Gnaphalium sylvaticum L. includes photos and European distribution map
  6. ^ "Omalotheca sylvatica". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  7. ^ Rose, Francis (1981). The Wild Flower Key. Frederick Warne & Co. pp. 377–380. ISBN 0-7232-2419-6.
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