The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

flame ragwort

New Mexico groundsel

Habit Perennials, 20–30+ cm; rhizomatous (rhizomes horizontal to erect, not branched), sometimes stoloniferous. Perennials, biennials, or annuals, 20–50+ cm; fibrous-rooted, taprooted, or ± rhizomatous (bases branched, horizontal or ascending to erect).
Stems

1, irregularly lanate or tomentose.

1 or 2–5+, clustered, lanate- or arachno-tomentose or glabrescent.

Basal leaves

(and proximal cauline) petiolate;

blades orbiculate, ovate, oblanceolate, or rhombic, 20–50+ × 20–40+ mm, bases tapering, sometimes obtuse, margins coarsely dentate to crenate-dentate.

(often abaxially cyanic) petiolate (petioles hairy to glabrate);

blades ovate to lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, 20–60+ × 10–30+ mm, bases abruptly contracted to tapering, margins subentire or denticulate to subserrate (abaxial faces usually tomentose, adaxials frequently glabrate).

Cauline leaves

gradually to abruptly reduced (petioles broad-winged, clasping, blades obovate, bases tapering, margins irregularly dentate; distal sessile, linear to lanceolate, entire).

gradually or abruptly reduced (proximal petiolate, similar to basals; mids and distals sessile, lanceolate, entire).

Peduncles

bracteate, lanate or tomentose distally.

conspicuously bracteate, usually hairy.

Ray florets

8–10(–13);

corolla laminae (red-orange) 8–15+ mm.

(5–)8 or 13;

corolla laminae 4–10 mm.

Disc florets

35–65+;

corolla tubes 4–5 mm, limbs 5–6 mm.

40–60+;

corolla tubes 1.5–2.5 mm, limbs 3.5–4.5 mm.

Phyllaries

21, green (tips sometimes deep red), 8–10+ mm, densely tomentose proximally, sparsely tomentose distally.

13 or 21, green or yellowish, 4–7+ mm, tomentose to glabrescent.

Calyculi

conspicuous.

conspicuous.

Heads

1–3+.

3–20+ in open or compact, corymbiform to subumbelliform arrays (subtended by smaller arrays arising from leaf axils).

Cypselae

1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 8–11 mm.

1.5–2.5 mm, usually hirtellous on ribs, sometimes glabrous;

pappi 5–6+ mm.

2n

= 40, 46, 92.

= 44, 46, 92.

Packera greenei

Packera neomexicana

Phenology Flowering mid May–early Jul.
Habitat Dry, rocky, usually serpentine soils, open scrub-pine associations
Elevation 100–1600 m (300–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT; w Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Packera greenei is known from Coast Ranges of northern California. It has relatively large heads and bright orange-red ray corollas; its leaves are usually cyanic abaxially.

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Plants loosely tomentose or glabrate; basal leaves: blades narrowly lanceolate, margins subentire or irregularly dentate
var. mutabilis
1. Plants usually densely lanate or woolly tomentose, seldom glabrate; basal leaves: blades ovate or broadly lanceolate, margins dentate to deeply dentate or dissected
→ 2
2. Plants taprooted; cauline leaves conspicuous
var. neomexicana
2. Plants rhizomatous or fibrous-rooted; cauline leaves inconspicuous (bractlike)
var. toumeyi
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 588. FNA vol. 20, p. 593.
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. glabella, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
P. neomexicana var. mutabilis, P. neomexicana var. neomexicana, P. neomexicana var. toumeyi
Synonyms Senecio greenei Senecio neomexicanus
Name authority (A. Gray) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 47. (1981) (A. Gray) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 47. (1981)
Web links