Family: Compositae (Asteraceae)
Flowering time: May–July
Size: 5–25 cm
Habitat: pine forests, clearings, meadows
Common pussytoes (Antennaria dioica) is a small, evergreen plant with developed stolons (above-ground side shoots) that form ground-level leaf rosettes. Leaves in the rosette are spatulate, 1 to 3 cm long. The upright stem leaves are narrowly lanceolate. On the underside all leaves are woolly grayish-haired, while on the top they are bare. At the top of the leafy, woolly-haired stem, 3 to 12 small heads develop. Common pussytoes is a dioecious plant, meaning that on one plant in all flowers only pistils (female plant) develop, while on the other plant the flowers develop only stamens (male plant). The bracts of the involucre on female plants are usually pink, whereas on male plants these bracts are whitish.
Common pussytoes grows on poor, humus-rich soils on an acidic substrate in sunny locations. With the exception of the coastal region and areas covered by dense forests, it is widespread throughout Slovenia.
