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woolly butterweed, woolly groundsel

Habit Perennials, 10–30+ cm; rhizomatous (rhizomes branched, suberect, stout).
Stems

1 (per rosette, rosettes clustered), densely lanate or canescent.

Basal leaves

(and proximal cauline) petiolate;

blades ovate or elliptic to lanceolate, 25–50+ × 10–30 mm, bases tapering, margins entire or irregularly undulate to weakly dentate (abaxial faces persistently lanate, adaxial lanate to subglabrescent).

Cauline leaves

gradually reduced (petiolate or sessile, then weakly clasping; elliptic to lanceolate, entire or weakly dentate).

Peduncles

bracteate, usually densely lanate to floccose-tomentose (sometimes subglabrescent).

Ray florets

8–10 (or 13);

corolla laminae 8–10+ mm.

Disc florets

35–50+;

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

Phyllaries

13 or 21, green, 5–8+ mm, densely tomentose.

Calyculi

inconspicuous (bractlets tomentose).

Heads

8–15+ in corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

2.5–3.5+ mm, glabrous;

pappi 4.5–7 mm.

2n

= 46, 92.

Packera cana

Phenology Flowering late Jun (south)–mid Aug (north).
Habitat Open plains and sagebrush associations, dry rocky slopes and crevices in granitic and limestone outcrops
Elevation 200–3700 m (700–12100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; KS; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK
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Discussion

Packera cana is found in a wide variety of habitats and in a wide range of elevations throughout the western Cordillera and into the High Plains. Morphology is relatively uniform throughout its range except that alpine specimens are notably dwarfed and are often mistaken for P. werneriifolia, which differs by its consistently scapiform habit.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 580.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera
Sibling taxa
P. anonyma, P. antennariifolia, P. aurea, P. bernardina, P. bolanderi, P. breweri, 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
Synonyms Senecio canus, Senecio canus var. eradiatus, Senecio canus var. purshianus, Senecio convallium, Senecio hallii, Senecio hallii var. discoidea, Senecio harbourii, Senecio howellii, Senecio laramiensis, Senecio oreopolus, Senecio purshianus
Name authority (Hooker) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 46. (1981)
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