Dioecious. Plants 2-25(-35) cm. Stolons 5.5-20 cm (filiform). Basal leaves: 3-5-nerved, obovate to broadly oblong-spatulate, 20-75 × 15-45 mm, tips mucronate, abaxially tomentose, adaxially gray-pubescent to floccose-glabrate. Cauline leaves linear, 1-17 mm, distal flagged. Heads borne singly. Involucres: staminate 8-11 mm; pistillate 8-14 mm. Phyllaries (bases green or brown) distally white. Corollas: staminate 3.8-5.5 mm; pistillate 4.5-7 mm. Cypselae 1-2 mm, papillate; pappi: staminate 4.5-7 mm; pistillate 6-9 mm. 2n = 28. Flowering early-mid spring. Slopes or stream banks in moist, rich, deciduous woodlands, forests, sometimes forest openings; 0-1500 m; Ala., Ark.. Ga., Ind., Ky., La., Md., Miss., N.C., Ohio, Pa., S.C., Tenn., Va., W.Va. With its relatively large, 3-5-nerved, basal leaves and relatively large heads borne singly, Antennaria solitaria is an easily recognized amphimictic member of the Catipes group (R. J. Bayer and G. L. Stebbins 1982). It is a sexual diploid progenitor of the A. parlinii polyploid complex.
From Flora of Indiana (1940) by Charles C. Deam
Infrequent to rare on the crests or slopes of chestnut oak ridges of a few of the southern counties. Staminate plants rather rare.
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Indiana Coefficient of Conservatism: C = 10
Wetland Indicator Status: N/A
Diagnostic Traits: Similar to A. parlinii & A. plantaginifolia but having only one head per flower stalk.
Much like no. 5 [Antennaria plantaginifolia (L.) Richardson], but differing sharply in its solitary heads; stems 1-2.5 dm, nearly naked; basal lvs avg longer (to 7.5 cm) and somewhat narrower in shape, often obovate; elongate stolons nearly naked; invol 8-10 mm; diploid and sexual. Woods; sw. Pa. and s. O. to s. Ind., s. to Va., Ga., and La. Apr., May.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
