Packera indecora |
Packera streptanthifolia |
|
---|---|---|
elegant groundsel, rayless mountain butterweed, rayless mountain groundsel, rayless mountain ragwort |
cleft-leaf groundsel, Rocky Mountain butterweed, Rocky Mountain groundsel |
|
Habit | Perennials, 10–100 cm; taprooted (caudices erect to suberect, relatively stout, branched). | Perennials, 10–50+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices weak to stout, horizontal to suberect). |
Stems | 1 or 2–3, loosely clustered, glabrous or glabrate. |
1 or 2–5, clustered, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely floccose-tomentose proximally and in leaf axils. |
Basal leaves | petiolate; blades elliptic-ovate, oblong, or subreniform, 20–50 × 10–40+ mm, bases subcordate, truncate, or cuneate, margins usually crenate-dentate to coarsely dentate-lacerate, seldom subentire. |
(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 reduced (petiolate, resembling basals, sublyrate or dissected; distal sessile, subentire to pinnatifid). |
gradually to abruptly reduced (± petiolate or sessile; entire or subentire). |
Peduncles | ebracteate (or bractlets inconspicuous), glabrous or glabrate. |
bracteate, glabrous or sparsely tomentose. |
Ray florets | 0 or 8–10; corolla laminae (deep yellow) 3–5 mm. |
8 or 13; corolla laminae 5–10 mm. |
Disc florets | 60–70+; corolla tubes 2–3 mm, limbs 2.5–3.5 mm. |
35–60+; corolla tubes 2–4 mm, limbs 2.5–4 mm. |
Phyllaries | 13 or 21, green (tips sometimes reddish), 7–9 mm, glabrous. |
(8–)13 or 21, green (tips sometimes cyanic), 4–7+ mm, glabrous. |
Calyculi | conspicuous (bractlets green, tips sometimes reddish). |
conspicuous. |
Heads | 8–20+ in subumbelliform arrays. |
2–20+ in loose, corymbiform or subumbelliform arrays. |
Cypselae | 1–2 mm, glabrous; pappi 3–4 mm. |
1–2.5 mm, glabrous; pappi 3–6 mm. |
2n | = 46, 126, 176, 184. |
= 46, 92. |
Packera indecora |
Packera streptanthifolia |
|
Phenology | Flowering mid Jun–late Aug. | Flowering late May–late Aug. |
Habitat | Damp meadows, along streams, wet woodlands | Forests, open meadows, valleys, dry to damp and loamy soils |
Elevation | 0–2300 m (0–7500 ft) | 1000–3400 m (3300–11200 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; CA; ID; MI; MN; MT; WA; WY; AB; BC; LB; MB; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT
|
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; SK; YT
|
Discussion | Packera indecora is found at relatively low elevations in eastern Canada and at middle to subalpine elevations in the western cordillera. It closely resembles P. pauciflora and it is often difficult to identify specimens in the herbarium. Biosystematic studies (J. F. Bain and J. Whitton 1994) have indicated that although they are morphologically similar, P. indecora and P. pauciflora have distinctly different physiologies and should be maintained as distinct taxa. (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. 590. | FNA vol. 20, p. 599. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera | Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Senecio indecorus, Senecio burkei, Senecio idahoensis, Senecio pauciflorus subsp. fallax | 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 | (Greene) Á. Löve & D. Löve: Bot. Not. 128: 520. (1976) | (Greene) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 48. (1981) |
Web links |