Flora of North America species comparison

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Packera cynthioides

Packera musiniensis

White Mountain ragwort
Habit Perennials, 20–40+ cm; rhizomatous (rhizomes horizontal to erect). Perennials, 5–10 cm; ± rhizomatous (bases loosely branched, elongated, horizontal to ascending).
Stems

1 or 2–3, clustered, densely lanate-tomentose or canescent, tufts of arachnoid tomentum in leaf axils, or glabrescent.

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

(thick, leathery) petiolate;

blades narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, 25–100+ × 5–20 mm, bases tapering, margins entire, subentire, dentate, or wavy (adaxial faces early glabrescent).

petiolate;

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

gradually reduced (sessile; lanceolate to oblanceolate, entire or wavy).

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

0 (or relatively reduced, then densely tomentose).

ebracteate, tomentose.
Ray florets

(5–)8;

corolla laminae 8–10+ mm.

0 or 1;

corolla laminae ca. 6 mm.
Disc florets

35–45+;

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

not seen.
Phyllaries

(8–)13, green (tips red), 3–6 mm, densely tomentose proximally, glabrate distally.

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

inconspicuous (bractlets red-tipped).

0 or inconspicuous.
Heads

10–30+ in open or congested, cymiform arrays.

3–15+ in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 5–6 mm.

not seen (reported to be glabrous).
2n

= 46.

= 46.

Packera cynthioides

Packera musiniensis
Phenology Flowering late Jul–mid Sep. Flowering mid Jul–mid Aug.
Habitat Loose rocky soils, steep slopes, subalpine and pine-juniper forests Subalpine and alpine ridges, talus or scree slopes, barren areas on Flagstaff limestone
Elevation 2200–2900 m (7200–9500 ft) 2900–3300 m (9500–10800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Packera cynthioides blooms later than other Packera species at the same latitudes. It is noted by collectors as usually growing on north- or west-facing slopes in limestone-derived soils. Its cauline leaves are well developed and held at a shallow angle to the stem, giving the plant a more “leafy” aspect than other members of the genus.

(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. 583. 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. breweri, P. cana, P. cardamine, P. castoreus, P. clevelandii, P. contermina, P. crocata, P. cymbalaria, 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 cynthioides, Senecio fendleri var. subintegra, Senecio wrightii Senecio musiniensis
Name authority (Greene) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 46. (1981) (S. L. Welsh) Trock: Sida 21: 1643. (2005)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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