Packera breweri
Packera contermina
Brewer's ragwort
dwarf arctic butterweed, high alpine butterweed, northwestern groundsel
1, glabrous or leaf axils tomentose.
1 or 2–3, clustered, bases floccose-tomentose, leaf axils tomentose, glabrous elsewhere.
(and proximal cauline) petiolate;
blades spatulate to obovate (pinnately lobed, terminal lobes ovate to oblong, lateral lobes 2–6+ pairs, smaller, midribs narrowly winged), 100–300+ × 20–50(–80+) mm, bases contracted to tapering, ultimate margins crenate or dentate to lacerate (faces glabrous).
(thick, fleshy) petiolate;
blades usually ovate, oblong, or spatulate, sometimes sublyrate, 20–50+ × 20–40+ mm, bases tapering (to winged petioles) or abruptly contracted to subcordate (petioles narrow), margins crenate, coarsely serrate, or subentire.
gradually reduced (petiolate or sessile; obovate, irregularly incised to subpinnate, terminal lobes narrow).
(often cyanic) gradually reduced (sessile, not clasping; lanceolate to linear, usually irregularly and shallowly lobed, rarely entire).
usually ebracteate (rarely with 1–2 bractlets), glabrous.
conspicuously bracteate, glabrous.
8–10+;
corolla laminae 10–15+ mm.
10–12;
corolla laminae 8–14+ mm.
45–60+;
corolla tubes 3–3.5 mm, limbs 4–4.5 mm.
55–75+;
corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm, limbs 3–4 mm.
13 or 21, green, 7–9+ mm, glabrous.
21, deep red or green (tips reddish), 8–12+ mm, white-tomentose proximally.
inconspicuous.
conspicuous (tips of bractlets often purple).
15–50+ in corymbiform arrays.
1–2(–5+).
2–2.5 mm, glabrous;
pappi 6–7 mm.
1–1.25 mm, glabrous;
pappi 4–7 mm.
= 46.
= 160+.
Packera breweri
Packera contermina
Packera breweri is known only from Coast Ranges from San Francisco Bay to Los Angeles County and along the eastern edges of the San Joaquin Valley. Populations are relatively small and sporadic; the plants appear not to hybridize with other species of Packera.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Packera contermina grows in rocky areas and produces relatively short rhizomes and abundant thin fibrous roots. In mesic sites, the rhizomes are more robust and the fibrous roots are fewer. This taxon has been treated as part of P. cymbalaria or P. subnuda. Morphologic and cytologic data lend support to its recognition at species rank.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
BC
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
