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cleftleaf groundsel, Rocky Mountain butterweed, Rocky Mountain groundsel

Flett's groundsel

Habit Plants perennial, 20–50+ cm; caudices weak or stout, horizontal or suberect and fibrous-rooted. Plants perennial, 10–40+ cm; rhizomes horizontal to erect.
Stems

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

1 or 2–5, loosely clustered, glabrous or leaf axils sparsely pubescent.

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 obovate to ovate or sub-lyrate, bases tapering;

margins deeply dissected or pinnatifid, crenate to crenate-dentate, petiolate.

Cauline leaves

similar to basal, gradually reduced, petiolate or sessile.

lower similar to basal; middle and upper absent or abruptly reduced distally, sessile.

Involucres

campanulate.

campanulate to broadly cylindric.

Ray florets

8 or 13;

rays 5–10 mm.

5 or 8;

rays 5–10 mm.

Disc florets

35–60;

corolla tubes 2–4 mm;

limbs 2.5–4 mm.

20–30+;

corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm;

limbs 2.5–3.5 mm.

Phyllaries

(8)13 or 21, 4–7+ mm, green;

tips sometimes anthocyanic;

surfaces glabrous.

(8)13, 4–7 mm, light green;

tips yellowish;

surfaces glabrous.

Calyculi

conspicuous.

0 or inconspicuous.

Fruits

1–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 3–6 mm.

1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 4–4.5 mm.

Heads

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

peduncles glabrous or sparsely tomentose, bracteate.

4–10+; in subumbellate; cyme-like arrays, radiate;

peduncles glabrous;

bracts absent or inconspicuous.

2n

=46, 92.

=40.

Packera streptanthifolia

Packera flettii

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.

Exposed slopes, rocky or gravelly soils. Flowering Jun–Jul. 300–1100 m. CR. WA. Native.

In Oregon, P. flettii is known only from the Coast Range and is rarely collected there. It is also rare in Washington but has a much wider distribution. This species has a unique chromosome number for the genus (2n=40) and is not known to hybridize with other species.

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. cana, P. eurycephala, P. hesperia, P. macounii, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, P. streptanthifolia, P. subnuda
Synonyms Packera streptanthifolia var. streptanthifolia, Senecio cymbalarioides, Senecio leonardii, Senecio streptanthifolius Senecio flettii
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