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Brewer's ragwort

Porter's butterweed, Porter's groundsel

Habit Perennials or biennials, 40–100+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices erect, stout). Perennials, 3–10+ cm; rhizomatous (rhizomes branched).
Stems

1, glabrous or leaf axils tomentose.

1 (often cyanic), glabrous.

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).

(relatively turgid, abaxial faces cyanic) petiolate;

blades reniform to subreniform, 5–15+ × 5–25+ mm, bases abruptly contracted to cordate, margins usually crenate, sometimes wavy.

Cauline leaves

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

abruptly reduced (1–4, sessile; bractlike, entire).

Peduncles

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

ebracteate, glabrous.

Ray florets

8–10+;

corolla laminae 10–15+ mm.

8 or 13;

corolla laminae 8–10+ mm.

Disc florets

45–60+;

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

40–50+;

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

Phyllaries

13 or 21, green, 7–9+ mm, glabrous.

13 or 21, deep red, 8–10+ mm, glabrous.

Calyculi

inconspicuous.

conspicuous (bractlets often cyanic).

Heads

15–50+ in corymbiform arrays.

borne singly.

Cypselae

2–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 6–7 mm.

1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 4–5.5 mm.

2n

= 46.

Packera breweri

Packera porteri

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 Steep talus slopes in alpine habitats
Elevation 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft) 2800–3900 m (9200–12800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; OR; WA
[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.)

Multiple collections of Packera porteri are known from Colorado; single collections are known from Oregon (1899; collector indicated few plants were seen) and Washington (1996).

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 580. FNA vol. 20, p. 596.
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. musiniensis, P. neomexicana, P. obovata, P. ogotorukensis, P. pauciflora, P. paupercula, P. plattensis, 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 porteri, Senecio aureus var. alpinus
Name authority (Burtt Davy) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 46. (1981) (Greene) C. Jeffrey: Kew Bull. 47: 101. (1992)
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