Small-leaved Pussytoes

Antennaria parvifolia

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Vanessa virginiensis, Pyrausta unifascialis, Eutricopis nexilis
S13+S15 3 verified Eastern NA
❄️ Winter Food Source: Foliage and seeds consumed by gallinaceous birds including Ruffed Grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Dusky Grouse, Greater Sage-Grouse, and White-tailed Ptarmigan. Antennaria constitutes up to 51% occurrence in Greater Sage-Grouse diets and 7% by weight in Ruffed Grouse. Persistent basal rosettes provide winter browse.
S57

Proximity Score: 4
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: W
CEC Eco-Regions: 9 – Great Plains, 9.3 – West Central Semi-Arid Prairies, 9.3.4 – Nebraska Sand Hills
Rarity Notes: Critically Imperiled (S1) in Ontario, at the eastern margin of its range. Globally secure (G5) and nationally secure in Canada (N5). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Ontario populations are disjunct from the main western range; GBIF shows only 3 Ontario specimens (ecoregions 5.2.1, 5.1.2, 2.4.2), all far from the Ottawa/Outaouais region.
S22+S26+S48
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S1 – Critically Imperiled
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A western prairie and montane species of dry, open habitats. In its core range across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, it inhabits prairies, pastures, roadsides, mountain parks, and open ponderosa or lodgepole pine forests from 100-3400 m elevation. Ontario populations represent the eastern fringe of its range, ranked S1 (Critically Imperiled). Absent from Quebec.
S6+S22

Roles: ground cover, soil stabilizer, pollinator support
S29 mat-forming erosion control; S4 attracts butterflies; S57 bird food
Notes: Dense mats stabilize soil and reduce erosion in dry, exposed sites. Useful as a living mulch or groundcover beneath taller prairie plants. Tolerates poor, dry soils where few other species thrive, making it a good gap-filler in xeric plantings.
S29

Category: Antirheumatic, Blood Medicine, Ceremonial Medicine
S28 Lakota antirheumatic, Navajo blood purifier and ceremonial uses
Notes: Lakota used externally for swellings (antirheumatic). Navajo (Kayenta) chewed plant with deer or sheep tallow as a blood purifier. Navajo (Ramah) used ceremonially for mad coyote bite and cold infusion of root taken for protection from witches. All uses are traditional/ethnobotanical.
S28

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Navajo (Kayenta) used the plant for greens in foods. Leaves are technically edible but their thick covering of hairs makes them unpleasant; flavor is mild but texture is the limiting factor. A survival food at best.
S28+S29