Packera breweri |
Packera paupercula |
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Brewer's ragwort |
balsam groundsel, Canadian butterweed |
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Habit | Perennials or biennials, 40–100+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices erect, stout). | Perennials, 20–45+ cm; subrhizomatous (bases weakly branched, ascending to erect). |
Stems | 1, glabrous or leaf axils tomentose. |
1 or 2–4, loosely clustered, glabrous or sparsely tomentose proximally. |
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 lanceolate to narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, 30–60+ × 10–20+ mm, bases tapering, sometimes obtuse, margins subentire to dentate or serrate. |
Cauline leaves | gradually reduced (petiolate or sessile; obovate, irregularly incised to subpinnate, terminal lobes narrow). |
gradually reduced (proximals petiolate, sublyrate; mids sessile, not clasping, lanceolate, dissected, incised, or lacerate; distals sessile, bractlike). |
Peduncles | usually ebracteate (rarely with 1–2 bractlets), glabrous. |
usually bracteate, sometimes ebracteate, glabrous. |
Ray florets | 8–10+; corolla laminae 10–15+ mm. |
0, 8, or 13; corolla laminae (pale yellow) 5–10+ mm. |
Disc florets | 45–60+; corolla tubes 3–3.5 mm, limbs 4–4.5 mm. |
50–65+; corolla tubes 2–3 mm, limbs 2–3 mm. |
Phyllaries | 13 or 21, green, 7–9+ mm, glabrous. |
13 or 21, green, 5–8+ mm, glabrous. |
Calyculi | inconspicuous. |
inconspicuous. |
Heads | 15–50+ in corymbiform arrays. |
2–10+ in loose or compact, corymbiform arrays. |
Cypselae | 2–2.5 mm, glabrous; pappi 6–7 mm. |
1–2 mm, usually glabrous, sometimes hispidulous on ribs; pappi 3.5–4.5 mm. |
2n | = 46. |
= 44, 46, 92. |
Packera breweri |
Packera paupercula |
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Phenology | Flowering mid Apr–late May. | Flowering May–late Jun (south), late Jun–early Aug (north). |
Habitat | Dry, rocky soils, partially shaded or protected areas, grasslands, oak savannas, roadsides, disturbed areas | Wet meadows, open woodlands, along streams, rocky outcrops |
Elevation | 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft) | 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) |
Distribution |
CA
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AK; AL; CO; DC; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SD; TN; UT; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
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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.) |
Ecologically and morphologically, Packera paupercula is the most variable species of the genus in North America. Some “phases” have been treated as separate species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and races. Variation within P. paupercula hints at some interesting evolutionary relationships; characteristics used to separate taxa overlap. Much of the morphologic variation in this species may be due to hybridization and introgression. I do not recognize any of the infraspecific taxa that have been proposed. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 580. | FNA vol. 20, p. 595. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera | Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Senecio breweri | Senecio pauperculus, Senecio balsamitae, Senecio balsamitae var. firmifolius, Senecio balsamitae var. thomsoniensis, Senecio crawfordii, Senecio flavovirens, Senecio gaspensis, Senecio multnomensis, Senecio robbinsii var. subtomentosus, Senecio tweedyi |
Name authority | (Burtt Davy) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 46. (1981) | (Michaux) Á. Löve & D. Löve: Bot. Not. 128: 520. (1976) |
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