Flora of North America species comparison

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Packera glabella

Packera musiniensis

butterweed
Habit Annuals or biennials, 20–70+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices relatively short, weak). Perennials, 5–10 cm; ± rhizomatous (bases loosely branched, elongated, horizontal to ascending).
Stems

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

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

petiolate;

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

gradually reduced (weakly clasping, similar to basal).

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

bracteate, glabrous or bases tomentose.

ebracteate, tomentose.
Ray florets

(8–)13;

corolla laminae 7–9 mm.

0 or 1;

corolla laminae ca. 6 mm.
Disc florets

35–50+;

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

not seen.
Phyllaries

(13–)21, green, 5–7 mm, glabrous.

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

conspicuous (bractlets 2.5–4 mm).

0 or inconspicuous.
Heads

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

3–15+ in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

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

pappi 3–4 mm.

not seen (reported to be glabrous).
2n

= 46.

= 46.

Packera glabella

Packera musiniensis
Phenology Flowering (Feb–)mid Mar–late May. Flowering mid Jul–mid Aug.
Habitat Open wet areas, edges of woodlands, stream banks, roadsides, meadows, marshes, fallow fields Subalpine and alpine ridges, talus or scree slopes, barren areas on Flagstaff limestone
Elevation 0–600 m (0–2000 ft) 2900–3300 m (9500–10800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; NE; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[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.)

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. 588. 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. 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
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 glabellus, Senecio carolinianus, Senecio densiflorus, Senecio lobatus, Senecio lyratus, Senecio mississipianus Senecio musiniensis
Name authority (Poiret) C. Jeffrey: Kew Bull. 47: 101. (1992) (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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