The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Brewer's ragwort

cut-leaf butterweed, wide-head groundsel

Habit Perennials or biennials, 40–100+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices erect, stout). Perennials, 20–50+ cm, taprooted (caudices branched, ascending to erect, woody).
Stems

1, glabrous or leaf axils tomentose.

1 or, usually, multiple, clustered, densely tomentose to glabrescent.

Basal leaves

(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).

(soon withering), petiolate;

blades lyrate (lateral lobes 2–6+ pairs), ovate, obovate, or spatulate, 70–100+ × 20–30+ mm, bases tapering, ultimate margins irregularly and coarsely serrate-dentate.

Cauline leaves

gradually reduced (petiolate or sessile; obovate, irregularly incised to subpinnate, terminal lobes narrow).

gradually reduced (± petiolate, proximal and mid similar to basal, terminal lobes smaller than laterals; distal sessile, incised).

Peduncles

usually ebracteate (rarely with 1–2 bractlets), glabrous.

bracteate, sparsely to densely lanate-tomentose.

Ray florets

8–10+;

corolla laminae 10–15+ mm.

8 or 13;

corolla laminae 10–15 mm.

Disc florets

45–60+;

corolla tubes 3–3.5 mm, limbs 4–4.5 mm.

35–50+;

corolla tubes 3.5–4.5 mm, limbs 2.5–3.5 mm.

Phyllaries

13 or 21, green, 7–9+ mm, glabrous.

13 or 21, green (tips sometimes yellow), 8–10+ mm, densely tomentose proximally, glabrescent distally.

Calyculi

inconspicuous.

inconspicuous (bractlets tomentose).

Heads

15–50+ in corymbiform arrays.

5–20+ in open or compact (rarely), cymiform arrays.

Cypselae

2–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 6–7 mm.

1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 6–7 mm.

2n

= 46.

= 46.

Packera breweri

Packera eurycephala

Phenology Flowering mid Apr–late May.
Habitat Dry, rocky soils, partially shaded or protected areas, grasslands, oak savannas, roadsides, disturbed areas
Elevation 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Stems (1–)2–6; leaf blades: margins usually serrate-dentate, sometimes deeply dissected, midribs winged
var. eurycephala
1. Stems 1; leaf blades finely dissected, lateral lobes also dissected, midribs not or weakly winged
var. lewisrosei
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 580. FNA vol. 20, p. 586.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera
Sibling taxa
P. anonyma, P. antennariifolia, P. aurea, P. bernardina, P. bolanderi, P. cana, P. cardamine, P. castoreus, P. clevelandii, P. contermina, P. crocata, P. cymbalaria, P. cynthioides, P. debilis, P. dimorphophylla, P. eurycephala, P. fendleri, P. flettii, P. franciscana, P. ganderi, P. glabella, P. greenei, P. hartiana, P. hesperia, P. hyperborealis, P. indecora, P. ionophylla, P. layneae, P. macounii, P. malmstenii, P. millefolium, P. millelobata, P. multilobata, P. musiniensis, P. neomexicana, P. obovata, P. ogotorukensis, P. pauciflora, P. paupercula, P. plattensis, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, P. quercetorum, P. sanguisorboides, P. schweinitziana, P. spellenbergii, P. streptanthifolia, P. subnuda, P. tampicana, P. texensis, P. tomentosa, P. tridenticulata, P. werneriifolia
P. anonyma, P. antennariifolia, P. aurea, P. bernardina, P. bolanderi, P. breweri, P. cana, P. cardamine, P. castoreus, P. clevelandii, P. contermina, P. crocata, P. cymbalaria, P. cynthioides, P. debilis, P. dimorphophylla, P. fendleri, P. flettii, P. franciscana, P. ganderi, P. glabella, P. greenei, P. hartiana, P. hesperia, P. hyperborealis, P. indecora, P. ionophylla, P. layneae, P. macounii, P. malmstenii, P. millefolium, P. millelobata, P. multilobata, P. musiniensis, P. neomexicana, P. obovata, P. ogotorukensis, P. pauciflora, P. paupercula, P. plattensis, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, P. quercetorum, P. sanguisorboides, P. schweinitziana, P. spellenbergii, P. streptanthifolia, P. subnuda, P. tampicana, P. texensis, P. tomentosa, P. tridenticulata, P. werneriifolia
Subordinate taxa
P. eurycephala var. eurycephala, P. eurycephala var. lewisrosei
Synonyms Senecio breweri Senecio eurycephalus
Name authority (Burtt Davy) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 46. (1981) (Torrey & A. Gray) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 46. (1981)
Web links