| Gamochaeta purpurea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Gamochaeta |
| Species: | G. purpurea |
| Binomial name | |
| Gamochaeta purpurea | |
| Synonyms | |
Gnaphalium purpureum | |
Gamochaeta purpurea, the purple cudweed, purple everlasting, or spoonleaf purple everlasting, is a plant native to North America. [1]
It is a small annual herb that produces lanceolate, alternate, wooly leaves and peg-shaped flowerheads in terminal clusters. The seeds are windborne. It can reach a height of approximately 0.4 meters (1.25 feet). [2]
It can grow on most any type of soil that is moderately moist, but prefers meadows, rocky terrain, and farmland.
It is listed as endangered in Massachusetts and New York, as possibly extirpated in Maine, as historical in Rhode Island, [3] and as a special concern species in Connecticut, where it is believed extirpated. [4]
The Houma people take a decoction of the dried plant for colds and influenza. [5]
