Arizona cudweed
Pseudognaphalium arizonicum (A.Gray) Anderb.
Arizona cudweed is a small, woolly herb whose flower heads are wrapped in overlapping brownish bracts. It can behave as an annual or a perennial and grows from a taproot. The stems and leaves lack glands, but their dense hairs give them a soft-looking surface. Flora of North America: Pseudognaphalium arizonicum
Botanical name
Kew accepts Pseudognaphalium arizonicum (A.Gray) Anderb. and lists Gnaphalium arizonicum A.Gray as its homotypic synonym. Kew POWO: Pseudognaphalium arizonicum
Recognizing the plant
Plants usually reach twenty to fifty centimetres. Narrow leaves are two to six centimetres long, with slightly rolled margins and bases extending down the stem. The flower heads may stand singly or gather in compact terminal clusters. Four or five rows of shiny, tawny to brown bracts surround many female florets and a smaller number of bisexual florets. Its tiny fruits have raised ridges and a roughened surface. Flora of North America: Pseudognaphalium arizonicum
Bloom window
Arizona and Texas, Flora of North America treatment
The flora records flowering in August and September. Flora of North America: Pseudognaphalium arizonicum
Native range
Kew places the native range in Arizona, Texas and northern Mexico, including Sonora and Chihuahua. Flora of North America records open woodland and chaparral at roughly 1,600–2,300 metres, with Mexican habitats also including agricultural ground and oak or pine woodland. Kew POWO: Pseudognaphalium arizonicumFlora of North America: Pseudognaphalium arizonicum
Botanical sources
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.