# silverpuffs (*Uropappus lindleyi*)

Silverpuffs are pretty plants with soft, fluffy flowers that look like little clouds. They grow in sunny places and can make any garden look special and bright!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![silverpuffs](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Uropappus_lindleyi.jpg&width=800)

Photo: \[1\] and \[2\] respectively, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uropappus_lindleyi.jpg)

## Appearance

The silverpuffs has fuzzy, silvery-green leaves growing close to the ground. Its slender stems bear small, bright yellow, daisy-like flowers. After blooming, these flowers transform into fluffy, silvery-white seed puffs, resembling tiny cotton balls.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Asterales
- **Family:** Asteraceae
- **Genus:** Microseris

## Interesting facts

- If you gently blow on a mature silverpuffs seed head, the tiny seeds float away like magic!
- It's like a plant chameleon; its flowers turn into silvery puffs when it's time to spread its seeds!
- The scientific name 'Uropappus' means 'tail pappus,' referring to the feathery parachute on its seeds!
- Though fuzzy and silvery, the silverpuffs' flowers are a cheerful bright yellow, inviting tiny visitors.

## Special abilities

- **Desert Shield:** Silverpuffs has tiny, silvery hairs on its leaves that reflect sunlight, helping it stay cool and save water in hot, dry places.
- **Puffball Parachutes:** Its seeds are attached to feathery 'parachutes' that catch the wind, allowing them to float far away and grow new plants.
- **Quick Sprout:** As an annual, silverpuffs can grow from seed to flower to seed very quickly, taking advantage of short rain periods.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-40 cm
- **Spread:** 15-30 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1.5-2.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to early summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits yellow flowers for nectar and pollen.
- **Pollinates:** [Yellow-faced Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-faced-bumble-bee) (*Bombus vosnesenskii*) — Native bee collects pollen from its blooms.
- **Pollinates:** [Monarch Butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — Adult butterflies may sip nectar from its flowers.

## Traits

- [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur.
- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Everblooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/everblooming): Everblooming plants produce flowers continuously or in repeated flushes over a long period.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always ask an adult before touching or picking any plants.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify silverpuffs?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is silverpuffs?

10-40 cm

### How wide does silverpuffs spread?

15-30 cm

### How big are the flowers on silverpuffs?

1.5-2.5 cm

### When does silverpuffs bloom?

Spring to early summer

### Is silverpuffs edible?

No

### Is silverpuffs toxic?

None

### What is silverpuffs's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Railtown 1897 State Historic Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/railtown-1897-state-historic-park) — California, US · State Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Silverpuffs: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/silverpuffs)