Pseudognaphalium helleri (Britton) Anderb.

Heller's Rabbit Tobacco; Heller's Everlasting

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Heller's Rabbit Tobacco is a native aromatic annual in the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). It is found throughout Alabama, but is less common than Eastern Rabbit Tobacco (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium (Linnaeus) Hilliard & Burtt). Heller's Rabbit Tobacco is found in pine flatwoods, oak flatwoods, and other open forests in moist situations. It differs from Eastern Rabbit Tobacco in that its stems are green and glandular, lacking the white tomentum characteristic of that species. Heller's Rabbit Tobacco has alternate sessile leaves. The leaves are whitish below and dark green above. The flowers are produced in heads. Rabbit Tobacco refers to the use of the plants in this genus as a substitute for tobacco, both in the smoked and chewed form. Herbalists use these plants as a diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant and astringent. It has been recommended for sore throats, pneumonia, colds, fevers, asthma, diarrhea, and as an aphrodisiac. Dried plants are easily spotted throughout the winter, and can be used in flower arrangements. --A. Diamond

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Native

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