Packera cana
Packera contermina
woolly butterweed, woolly groundsel
dwarf arctic butterweed, high alpine butterweed, northwestern groundsel
1 (per rosette, rosettes clustered), densely lanate or canescent.
1 or 2–3, clustered, bases floccose-tomentose, leaf axils tomentose, glabrous elsewhere.
(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).
(thick, fleshy) petiolate;
blades usually ovate, oblong, or spatulate, sometimes sublyrate, 20–50+ × 20–40+ mm, bases tapering (to winged petioles) or abruptly contracted to subcordate (petioles narrow), margins crenate, coarsely serrate, or subentire.
gradually reduced (petiolate or sessile, then weakly clasping; elliptic to lanceolate, entire or weakly dentate).
(often cyanic) gradually reduced (sessile, not clasping; lanceolate to linear, usually irregularly and shallowly lobed, rarely entire).
bracteate, usually densely lanate to floccose-tomentose (sometimes subglabrescent).
conspicuously bracteate, glabrous.
8–10 (or 13);
corolla laminae 8–10+ mm.
10–12;
corolla laminae 8–14+ mm.
35–50+;
corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm, limbs 3.5–4.5 mm.
55–75+;
corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm, limbs 3–4 mm.
13 or 21, green, 5–8+ mm, densely tomentose.
21, deep red or green (tips reddish), 8–12+ mm, white-tomentose proximally.
inconspicuous (bractlets tomentose).
conspicuous (tips of bractlets often purple).
8–15+ in corymbiform arrays.
1–2(–5+).
2.5–3.5+ mm, glabrous;
pappi 4.5–7 mm.
1–1.25 mm, glabrous;
pappi 4–7 mm.
= 46, 92.
= 160+.
Packera cana
Packera contermina
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.)
Packera contermina grows in rocky areas and produces relatively short rhizomes and abundant thin fibrous roots. In mesic sites, the rhizomes are more robust and the fibrous roots are fewer. This taxon has been treated as part of P. cymbalaria or P. subnuda. Morphologic and cytologic data lend support to its recognition at species rank.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
KS Wildflowers, 
MN Wildflowers, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
