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butterweed

Habit Annuals or biennials, 20–70+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices relatively short, weak).
Stems

1 (striated, frequently hollow, often pink- to purple-tinged), glabrous or leaf axils sparsely tomentose.

Basal leaves

(and proximal cauline) obscurely petiolate;

blades obovate to oblanceolate, sometimes lyrate (lateral lobes to 5 pairs, terminal lobes larger than laterals), 50–150+ × 10–30+ mm, bases tapering, ultimate margins crenate to irregularly undulate.

Cauline leaves

gradually reduced (weakly clasping, similar to basal).

Peduncles

bracteate, glabrous or bases tomentose.

Ray florets

(8–)13;

corolla laminae 7–9 mm.

Disc florets

35–50+;

corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm, limbs 2–3 mm.

Phyllaries

(13–)21, green, 5–7 mm, glabrous.

Calyculi

conspicuous (bractlets 2.5–4 mm).

Heads

8–30+ in umbelliform or cymiform arrays (robust plants with multiple arrays).

Cypselae

1–1.5 mm, sparsely hirtellous on ribs or glabrous;

pappi 3–4 mm.

2n

= 46.

Packera glabella

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)mid Mar–late May.
Habitat Open wet areas, edges of woodlands, stream banks, roadsides, meadows, marshes, fallow fields
Elevation 0–600 m (0–2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; NE; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Packera glabella is common and almost weedy in wet, partially shaded places. The hollow, striated stems of P. glabella are distinctive.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 588.
Parent taxa 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. cynthioides, P. debilis, P. dimorphophylla, P. eurycephala, P. fendleri, P. flettii, P. franciscana, P. ganderi, 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 glabellus, Senecio carolinianus, Senecio densiflorus, Senecio lobatus, Senecio lyratus, Senecio mississipianus
Name authority (Poiret) C. Jeffrey: Kew Bull. 47: 101. (1992)
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