OregonFlora: Packera streptanthifolia vs. Packera cana

	Packera streptanthifolia	Packera cana
	cleftleaf groundsel, Rocky Mountain butterweed, Rocky Mountain groundsel	woolly groundsel
Habit	Plants perennial, 20–50+ cm; caudices weak or stout, horizontal or suberect and fibrous-rooted.	Plants perennial, 10–30+ cm; caudices sub-erect, stout, branched.
Stems	1 or 2–5, clustered, glabrous or sometimes sparsely pubescent near base and in leaf axils.	1, densely tomentose or canescent.
Basal leaves	blades oblanceolate to orbiculate; thick; turgid, bases tapering to contracted; margins dentate, dissected; entire, subentire or weakly lobulate; surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent, petiolate.	blades ovate or elliptic to lanceolate, bases tapering; margins entire, irregularly undulate, or weakly dentate; surfaces abaxially persistently lanate-pubescent, adaxially lanate to glabrate, petiolate.
Cauline leaves	similar to basal, gradually reduced, petiolate or sessile.	similar to basal; upper gradually reduced, petiolate or sessile and weakly clasping.
Involucres	campanulate.	campanulate.
Ray florets	8 or 13; rays 5–10 mm.	8–10(13); rays 8–10+ mm.
Disc florets	35–60; corolla tubes 2–4 mm; limbs 2.5–4 mm.	35–50+; corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm; limbs 3.5–4.5 mm.
Phyllaries	(8)13 or 21, 4–7+ mm, green; tips sometimes anthocyanic; surfaces glabrous.	13 or 21, 5–8+ mm, green; surfaces densely tomentose.
Calyculi	conspicuous.	inconspicuous; surfaces tomentose.
Fruits	1–2.5 mm, glabrous; pappi 3–6 mm.	2.5–3.5+ mm, glabrous; pappi 4.5–7 mm.
Heads	2–20+; in corymb- or subumbel-like arrays; peduncles glabrous or sparsely tomentose, bracteate.	8–15+; in corymb-like arrays, radiate; peduncles usually densely lanate, sometimes glabrate, bracteate.
2n	=46, 92.	=46, 92.

	Packera streptanthifolia	Packera cana
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Forests, open meadows, and valleys in dry to damp loamy soils. Flowering May–Aug. 400–2900 m. BR, BW, ECas, Lava, Owy, Sisk. ID, NV, WA; north to Yukon, northeast to Saskatchewan, east to WY, southeast to NM. Native. Packera streptanthifolia includes weakly defined “phases” that have been treated as distinct species or as varieties. Characteristics used to define those taxa often overlap and are difficult to distinguish; some phases grade into each other.	Open plains, sagebrush, dry rocky slopes, crevices in granitic and limestone outcrops. Flowering May–Aug. 0–3000 m. All ecoregions except WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to Manitoba, east to MN, southeast to NM. Native. Packera cana grows in a wide variety of habitats. Vegetative morphology is relatively uniform throughout the range, except that alpine specimens are notably dwarfed and often mistaken for P. werneriifolia, which differs by its scapiform habit. In Oregon, P. cana can also be mistaken for P. macounii. However, the latter is not consistently canescent and has a taprooted caudex and leaves that are narrower and frequently revolute. Several specimens in Curry and Josephine counties that have been reported as Packera cana are more likely P. macounii as they are cited as growing on serpentine.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 324 Debra Trock	Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 322 Debra Trock
Sibling taxa	P. bolanderi, P. cana, P. eurycephala, P. flettii, P. hesperia, P. macounii, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, P. subnuda	P. bolanderi, P. eurycephala, P. flettii, P. hesperia, P. macounii, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, P. streptanthifolia, P. subnuda
Synonyms	Packera streptanthifolia var. streptanthifolia, Senecio cymbalarioides, Senecio leonardii, Senecio streptanthifolius	Senecio canus
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Packera cana

cleftleaf groundsel, Rocky Mountain butterweed, Rocky Mountain groundsel

woolly groundsel

Habit

Plants perennial, 20–50+ cm; caudices weak or stout, horizontal or suberect and fibrous-rooted.

Plants perennial, 10–30+ cm; caudices sub-erect, stout, branched.

Stems

1 or 2–5, clustered, glabrous or sometimes sparsely pubescent near base and in leaf axils.

1, densely tomentose or canescent.

Basal leaves

blades oblanceolate to orbiculate; thick; turgid, bases tapering to contracted;

margins dentate, dissected; entire, subentire or weakly lobulate;

surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent, petiolate.

blades ovate or elliptic to lanceolate, bases tapering;

margins entire, irregularly undulate, or weakly dentate;

surfaces abaxially persistently lanate-pubescent, adaxially lanate to glabrate, petiolate.

Cauline leaves

similar to basal, gradually reduced, petiolate or sessile.

similar to basal; upper gradually reduced, petiolate or sessile and weakly clasping.

Involucres

campanulate.

Ray florets

8 or 13;

rays 5–10 mm.

8–10(13);

rays 8–10+ mm.

Disc florets

35–60;

corolla tubes 2–4 mm;

limbs 2.5–4 mm.

35–50+;

corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm;

limbs 3.5–4.5 mm.

Phyllaries

(8)13 or 21, 4–7+ mm, green;

tips sometimes anthocyanic;

surfaces glabrous.

13 or 21, 5–8+ mm, green;

surfaces densely tomentose.

Calyculi

conspicuous.

inconspicuous;

surfaces tomentose.

Fruits

1–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 3–6 mm.

2.5–3.5+ mm, glabrous;

pappi 4.5–7 mm.

Heads

2–20+; in corymb- or subumbel-like arrays;

peduncles glabrous or sparsely tomentose, bracteate.

8–15+; in corymb-like arrays, radiate;

peduncles usually densely lanate, sometimes glabrate, bracteate.

=46, 92.

Packera cana

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Forests, open meadows, and valleys in dry to damp loamy soils. Flowering May–Aug. 400–2900 m. BR, BW, ECas, Lava, Owy, Sisk. ID, NV, WA; north to Yukon, northeast to Saskatchewan, east to WY, southeast to NM. Native.

Packera streptanthifolia includes weakly defined “phases” that have been treated as distinct species or as varieties. Characteristics used to define those taxa often overlap and are difficult to distinguish; some phases grade into each other.

Open plains, sagebrush, dry rocky slopes, crevices in granitic and limestone outcrops. Flowering May–Aug. 0–3000 m. All ecoregions except WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to Manitoba, east to MN, southeast to NM. Native.

Packera cana grows in a wide variety of habitats. Vegetative morphology is relatively uniform throughout the range, except that alpine specimens are notably dwarfed and often mistaken for P. werneriifolia, which differs by its scapiform habit. In Oregon, P. cana can also be mistaken for P. macounii. However, the latter is not consistently canescent and has a taprooted caudex and leaves that are narrower and frequently revolute. Several specimens in Curry and Josephine counties that have been reported as Packera cana are more likely P. macounii as they are cited as growing on serpentine.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 324
Debra Trock

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 322
Debra Trock

Sibling taxa