Packera bolanderi |
Packera plattensis |
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Bolander's groundsel, Bolander's ragwort |
plains butterweed, prairie groundsel |
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Habit | Perennials, 20–50+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices creeping). | Biennials or perennials, 20–60+ cm; rhizomatous and/or fibrous-rooted (bases erect to suberect), sometimes stoloniferous (mostly eastern populations). | ||||
Stems | 1 or 2–3, loosely clustered, glabrous. |
1 or 2–3, clustered, floccose-tomentose proximally and in leaf axils, otherwise sparsely tomentose or glabrescent. |
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Basal leaves | (and proximal cauline) petiolate; blades ± orbiculate to oblong, or lyrate (lateral lobes 1–3 pairs, sinuses usually rounded, midribs usually winged), 50–120+ × 30–70+ mm, bases cordate to subcordate, margins shallowly to deeply incised. |
(and proximal cauline) petiolate; blades narrowly elliptic to elliptic-ovate or oblanceolate to suborbiculate or sublyrate, 20–70+ × 10–30+ mm, bases tapering to rounded or abruptly contracted, margins subentire to crenate, serrate-dentate, or pinnately lobed (abaxial faces floccose-tomentose, especially along midribs, ± glabrescent). |
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Cauline leaves | gradually reduced (petiolate or sessile and clasping; lanceolate, incised). |
gradually reduced (petiolate, sublyrate or pinnatisect, abaxial faces sparsely hairy; distals sessile, subentire to irregularly dissected). |
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Peduncles | ebracteate or inconspicuously bracteate, glabrous. |
conspicuously bracteate, sparsely to densely tomentose. |
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Ray florets | 8 or 13; corolla laminae 10–15+ mm. |
8–10; corolla laminae 9–10 mm. |
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Disc florets | 30–45+; corolla tubes 3–4 mm, limbs 3.5–4.5 mm. |
60–70+; corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm, limbs 3.5–4.5 mm. |
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Phyllaries | (8), 13, or 21, dark green, 5–8 mm, glabrous or sparsely tomentose proximally. |
13 or 21, green (tips sometimes cyanic), 5–6+ mm, densely tomentose proximally, glabrescent distally. |
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Calyculi | conspicuous. |
inconspicuous. |
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Heads | 8–15+ in corymbiform or subumbelliform arrays. |
6–20+ in open or congested, corymbiform arrays. |
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Cypselae | 2.5–3.5 mm, glabrous; pappi 5–7 mm. |
1.5–2.5 mm, usually hirtellous, sometimes glabrous; pappi 6.5–7.5 mm. |
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2n | = 46. |
= 46, 92. |
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Packera bolanderi |
Packera plattensis |
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Phenology | Flowering mid Apr–early Jun(–mid Jul, north). | |||||
Habitat | Prairies, meadows, open wooded areas, along highways, railroads, around mining and construction areas, usually on limestone | |||||
Elevation | 50–1800 m [160–5900 ft] | |||||
Distribution |
CA; OR; WA
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AR; CO; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; ND; NE; NM; OH; OK; PA; SD; TN; VA; WI; WY; ON; SK
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). The two varieties of Packera bolanderi have been treated as species. The morphologic characteristics used to distinguish the varieties vary widely within some populations. Presence or absence of multicellular hairs has been used to separate the varieties; that trait is also variable. The morphologic distinction is weak; habitat and elevation records lend support for recognizing two varieties. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Packera plattensis is abundant, widespread, and almost weedy. Putative hybrids with other species are known. Plants in mesic, remnant prairies in the east are sometimes stoloniferous. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 579. | FNA vol. 20, p. 596. | ||||
Parent taxa | ||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | Senecio bolanderi | Senecio plattensis, Senecio pseudotomentosus | ||||
Name authority | (A. Gray) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 45. (1981) | (Nuttall) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 48. (1981) | ||||
Web links |