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Brewer's ragwort

Habit Perennials or biennials, 40–100+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices erect, stout). Perennials, 5–10 cm; ± rhizomatous (bases loosely branched, elongated, horizontal to ascending).
Stems

1, glabrous or leaf axils tomentose.

1 (sometimes branched from bases), densely white- or gray-tomentose.

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).

petiolate;

blades oblanceolate, 20–30+ × 5–13+ mm, bases tapering, margins pinnatifid to crenate.

Cauline leaves

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

gradually reduced (sessile; proximal and mid nearly equaling basals, distals bractlike).

Peduncles

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

ebracteate, tomentose.

Ray florets

8–10+;

corolla laminae 10–15+ mm.

0 or 1;

corolla laminae ca. 6 mm.

Disc florets

45–60+;

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

not seen.

Phyllaries

13 or 21, green, 7–9+ mm, glabrous.

8–13, yellow-green to purple (or with purplish midstripes), 8–9.5 mm, sparsely tomentose (apices rounded).

Calyculi

inconspicuous.

0 or inconspicuous.

Heads

15–50+ in corymbiform arrays.

3–15+ in corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

2–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 6–7 mm.

not seen (reported to be glabrous).

2n

= 46.

= 46.

Packera breweri

Packera musiniensis

Phenology Flowering mid Apr–late May. Flowering mid Jul–mid Aug.
Habitat Dry, rocky soils, partially shaded or protected areas, grasslands, oak savannas, roadsides, disturbed areas Subalpine and alpine ridges, talus or scree slopes, barren areas on Flagstaff limestone
Elevation 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft) 2900–3300 m (9500–10800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Packera musiniensis is a high-elevation dwarf species; its affinities within Packera are still uncertain. Welsh believed it to be allied to P. cana or P. multilobata, or both.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 580. FNA vol. 20, p. 592.
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. 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. 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
Synonyms Senecio breweri Senecio musiniensis
Name authority (Burtt Davy) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 46. (1981) (S. L. Welsh) Trock: Sida 21: 1643. (2005)
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