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flame ragwort

cleft-leaf groundsel, Rocky Mountain butterweed, Rocky Mountain groundsel

Habit Perennials, 20–30+ cm; rhizomatous (rhizomes horizontal to erect, not branched), sometimes stoloniferous. Perennials, 10–50+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices weak to stout, horizontal to suberect).
Stems

1, irregularly lanate or tomentose.

1 or 2–5, clustered, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely floccose-tomentose proximally and in leaf axils.

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.

(and proximal cauline, relatively thick and turgid) petiolate;

blades spatulate to oblanceolate, or ovate to orbiculate, 20–40+ × 10–30+ mm, bases tapering to abruptly contracted or subcordate, margins entire, crenate, dentate, or weakly lobulate (faces usually glabrous, sometimes hairy).

Cauline leaves

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

gradually to abruptly reduced (± petiolate or sessile; entire or subentire).

Peduncles

bracteate, lanate or tomentose distally.

bracteate, glabrous or sparsely tomentose.

Ray florets

8–10(–13);

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

8 or 13;

corolla laminae 5–10 mm.

Disc florets

35–65+;

corolla tubes 4–5 mm, limbs 5–6 mm.

35–60+;

corolla tubes 2–4 mm, limbs 2.5–4 mm.

Phyllaries

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

(8–)13 or 21, green (tips sometimes cyanic), 4–7+ mm, glabrous.

Calyculi

conspicuous.

conspicuous.

Heads

1–3+.

2–20+ in loose, corymbiform or subumbelliform arrays.

Cypselae

1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 8–11 mm.

1–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 3–6 mm.

2n

= 40, 46, 92.

= 46, 92.

Packera greenei

Packera streptanthifolia

Phenology Flowering mid May–early Jul. Flowering late May–late Aug.
Habitat Dry, rocky, usually serpentine soils, open scrub-pine associations Forests, open meadows, valleys, dry to damp and loamy soils
Elevation 100–1600 m (300–5200 ft) 1000–3400 m (3300–11200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; SK; YT
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[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.)

Packera streptanthifolia is widespread and variable throughout the Western Cordillera. It includes weakly defined phases that have been treated as distinct species or as varieties. Characteristics used to delimit those taxa often overlap and are difficult to score; some “phases” grade into each other. Northern populations are sometimes segregated as a distinct taxon (e.g., Senecio streptanthifolia var. borealis; J. F. Bain 1988).

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 588. FNA vol. 20, p. 599.
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. neomexicana, P. obovata, P. ogotorukensis, P. pauciflora, P. paupercula, P. plattensis, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, P. quercetorum, P. sanguisorboides, P. schweinitziana, P. spellenbergii, P. subnuda, P. tampicana, P. texensis, P. tomentosa, P. tridenticulata, P. werneriifolia
Synonyms Senecio greenei Senecio streptanthifolius, P. streptanthifolia var. borealis, Senecio adamsii, Senecio aureus var. borealis, Senecio cognatus, Senecio cymbalarioides, Senecio cymbalarioides var. borealis, Senecio cymbalarioides var. streptanthifolius, Senecio fulgens, Senecio jonesii, Senecio leonardii, Senecio longipetiolatus, Senecio oödes, Senecio platylobus, Senecio rydbergii, Senecio streptanthifolius var. borealis, Senecio streptanthifolius var. kluanei, Senecio streptanthifolius var. laetiflorus, Senecio streptanthifolius var. oödes, Senecio streptanthifolius var. rubricaulis, Senecio streptanthifolius var. wallowensis, Senecio subcuneatus, Senecio suksdorfii, Senecio wardii
Name authority (A. Gray) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 47. (1981) (Greene) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 48. (1981)
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