Diaperia is a small genus of annual herbaceous plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae), closely related to and formerly included within the genus Evax. Members of the genus are commonly known as "rabbit's tobacco" or "dwarf cudweed" — low-growing, woolly herbs that produce dense clusters of tiny flower heads surrounded by soft, feltlike bracts. The genus is native to North America, ranging from northern Mexico through the central and southern United States, with its center of diversity on the Great Plains.
Three species are currently recognized: Diaperia candida (silver rabbit-tobacco), Diaperia prolifera (big-head rabbit-tobacco), and Diaperia verna (spring rabbit-tobacco). All three are spring annuals that typically grow in disturbed, open, or sandy habitats. Diaperia prolifera has the broadest distribution, reaching from Texas north to Montana and east to the Carolinas, while Diaperia verna extends into Tamaulipas and Coahuila in northeastern Mexico.
Distribution
Diaperia is native to the central and southern United States and northern Mexico, with its greatest diversity on the Great Plains. Diaperia prolifera has the widest range, extending from Texas north to Montana and the Dakotas and east to the Carolinas; Diaperia verna reaches into Coahuila and Tamaulipas in Mexico; Diaperia candida is more restricted to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
Taxonomy Notes
Diaperia was historically included within Evax, a broader genus of woolly herbs in the tribe Gnaphalieae (Asteraceae). Recognition as a distinct genus reflects morphological and molecular evidence separating the North American species from the Old World Evax core. GBIF treats Diaperia as an accepted genus with 7 descendant taxa.
