Anaphalis margaritacea
A North American native drought-tolerant perennial with woolly silver-gray foliage and pearl-like white flower clusters, blooms mid- to late-summer, attracts pollinators and hosts Painted Lady and Skipper butterfly caterpillars, is valued for dried arrangements, and has traditional anti-inflammatory medicinal uses.
Common Names
Pearly Everlasting, Western Pearly Everlasting
Summary
Pearly Everlasting, Anaphalis margaritacea, is a rhizomatous perennial native to North America and Asia, forming upright clumps with dense, woolly gray green foliage and white flower heads that display yellow centers surrounded by papery, pearly white bracts for a distinctive pearl like look, it grows about 30 to 90 cm tall and 30 to 60 cm wide, with mid summer to early fall blooming and durable inflorescences suited to dried arrangements, in cultivation it prefers full sun to partial shade and dry, well drained soils, tolerating poor soils and being drought tolerant once established, it spreads by rhizomes to form clumps and is deer and rabbit resistant, while attracting bees and butterflies and serving as a host plant for Painted Lady butterflies, uses include cut and dried flowers, wildflower borders, dry meadows, rock gardens, native plantings, and low maintenance accents, with hardiness in USDA zones 3a to 9b.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
12-36 inches
Spread
12-24 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3-8
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally Full Sun, tolerates Partial Sun and Partial Shade.
Soil Type
Moist, well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
No ideal soil pH listed, Tolerates all pH levels
Bloom Color
White (pearly white), sometimes with yellow centers.
Bloom Time
Summer to Fall
Foliage Color
Gray-green to silvery-green foliage with white tomentose beneath
Fall Foliage Color
Rust colored
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Fast
Seasons of Interest
Summer and Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, Attracts butterflies, Attracts other pollinators
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (L.) Benth. & Hook.f.
- Publication
- Gen. Pl. 2(1): 303 (1873)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asterales
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Subfamily
- Asteroideae
- Tribe
- Gnaphalieae
- Genus
- Anaphalis
Inferior Taxa
Anaphalis margaritacea var. yedoensis Anaphalis margaritacea var. cinnamomea Anaphalis margaritacea subsp. japonica Anaphalis margaritacea var. japonica Anaphalis margaritacea var. margaritacea Anaphalis margaritacea subsp. margaritacea Anaphalis margaritacea var. angustifolia
Synonyms
Anaphalis lanata Gnaphalium wightianum Anaphalis timmua Anaphalis occidentalis Gnaphalium boreale Antennaria cinnamomea var. cinnamomea Gnaphalium margaritaceum var. margaritaceum Anaphalis yedoensis Anaphalis cinnamomea var. angustior Gnaphalium americanum Antennaria margaritacea Gnaphalium hypophaeum Anaphalis margaritacea subsp. angustior Antennaria margaritacea var. subalpina Anaphalis margaritacea var. subalpina Anaphalis margaritacea var. occidentalis Antennaria cinnamomea var. angustior Gnaphalium margaritaceum var. timua Anaphalis margaritacea var. angustior Gnaphalium cinnamomeum Chamaezelum margaritaceum Gnaphalium margaritaceum Antennaria margaritacea Antennaria plantaginea Antennaria cinnamomea Anaphalis sierrae Anaphalis angustifolia Helichrysum margaritaceum Anaphalis subalpina Anaphalis cinnomomea Anaphalis margaritacea f. margaritacea Anaphalis cinnamomea var. cinnamomea Antennaria margaritacea var. margaritacea Anaphalis japonica Antennaria timmua Anaphalis margaritacea