Rosy Pussytoes

Antennaria rosea

Pollinator Value

❄️ Winter Food Source: White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura) feeds on Antennaria rosea in alpine and subalpine habitats where persistent basal rosettes remain accessible through winter snow cover.
S57

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Critically Imperiled in Ontario (S1), occurring only as rare disjunct populations near Lake Superior. Nationally secure in Canada (N5) due to widespread western and northern populations from British Columbia to Yukon. Not listed under SARA. Global rank G5.
S22+S26
Rarity Ranks: QC SNR – Not Ranked, ON S1 – Critically Imperiled
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A low, mat-forming forb of dry open meadows, alpine tundra, and prairies across western and northern North America. In Ontario, known only from rare disjunct populations near Lake Superior (S1). Part of a polyploid agamic complex with six sexually reproducing progenitor species. Typically found on well-drained sandy or rocky soils in full sun.
S6+S4+S22+S29

Roles: Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Pollinator Attractor: S73 [MEDIUM]: S68 5 bee associations (threshold=3)]

Category: Ceremonial Medicine, Reproductive Aid
S28 Okanagan-Colville ceremonial and reproductive uses
Notes: Okanagan-Colville dried and powdered the roots, placing them on hot coals at winter dances; the smoke was used ceremonially to drive away bad spirits and to revive dancers who had passed out. Leaves were chewed and swallowed by men as a reproductive aid to increase virility.
S28

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Blackfoot children chewed the leaves for their mild flavor, used as a sort of natural chewing gum. The leaves provide no real nutritional value and the species is not considered an important food plant.
S28+S29