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butterweed

Oak Creek ragwort

Habit Annuals or biennials, 20–70+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices relatively short, weak). Perennials, 60–100+ cm; taprooted (caudices subligneous, ascending to erect).
Stems

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

1 or 2–4, clustered (proximally deeply purple-tinged, distally lightly tinged), glabrous or tomentose at bases and in leaf axils.

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.

(and proximal cauline) petiolate;

blades obovate or lyrate (pinnately lobed, lateral lobes 2–6+ pairs, their bases petioluliform, terminal lobes larger than laterals, midribs narrowly winged), 60–160+ × 20–40+ mm, bases wide, ultimate margins sharply dentate, crenate-dentate, or irregularly incised.

Cauline leaves

gradually reduced (weakly clasping, similar to basal).

gradually reduced (petiolate or sessile; shallowly lobed, midribs ± winged, distals bractlike, dentate to incised).

Peduncles

bracteate, glabrous or bases tomentose.

ebracteate, glabrous.

Ray florets

(8–)13;

corolla laminae 7–9 mm.

(8–)13;

corolla laminae 6–10+ mm.

Disc florets

35–50+;

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

60–70+;

corolla tubes 2–3 mm, limbs 3.5–4.5 mm.

Phyllaries

(13–)21, green, 5–7 mm, glabrous.

(13–)21, green (tips yellow), 5–7 mm, glabrous (tips sometimes hairy).

Calyculi

conspicuous (bractlets 2.5–4 mm).

inconspicuous.

Heads

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

15–40+ in open, cymiform arrays.

Cypselae

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

pappi 3–4 mm.

1.5–2 mm, glabrous or ± scabrellous;

pappi 5.5–6.5 mm.

2n

= 46.

= 92.

Packera glabella

Packera quercetorum

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)mid Mar–late May. Flowering mid Apr–early Jun.
Habitat Open wet areas, edges of woodlands, stream banks, roadsides, meadows, marshes, fallow fields Rocky soils, open areas, scrub-oak and pinyon-pine forests, chaparral
Elevation 0–600 m (0–2000 ft) 800–2200 m (2600–7200 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
AZ; NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

Packera quercetorum is found only infrequently and in relatively small populations in central and southern Arizona and west-central New Mexico. The plants are robust and have probable affinities to P. multilobata. The plants have a bluish tinge when freshly collected and are distinctive in the field.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 588. FNA vol. 20, p. 598.
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. musiniensis, P. neomexicana, P. obovata, P. ogotorukensis, P. pauciflora, P. paupercula, P. plattensis, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, 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 quercetorum, Senecio macropus
Name authority (Poiret) C. Jeffrey: Kew Bull. 47: 101. (1992) (Greene) C. Jeffrey: Kew Bull. 47: 101. (1992)
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