Flora of North America species comparison

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Packera obovata

roundleaf ragwort, running groundsel
Habit Perennials, 20–50+ cm; stoloniferous and rhizomatous (rhizomes horizontal to suberect).
Stems

1 or multiple, loosely clustered, usually glabrous, sometimes tomentose proximally and in leaf axils.
Basal leaves

(and proximal cauline) petiolate;

blades orbiculate, ovate, or obovate, 40–100+ × 20–80+ mm, bases tapering, rounded, or abruptly contracted, margins crenate, dentate, or serrate.
Cauline leaves

gradually reduced (sessile, clasping; pinnatisect or sublyrate).
Peduncles

bracteate, glabrous or proximally tomentose.
Ray florets

8–13(–21);

corolla laminae 7–10 mm.
Disc florets

40–50+;

corolla tubes 2–3 mm, limbs 2–3 mm.
Phyllaries

13 or 21, green (tips sometimes reddish), 3–6 mm, glabrous or floccose-tomentose proximally.
Calyculi

conspicuous.
Heads

6–15+ in open or congested, corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

1–1.5 mm, glabrous or hirsute on ribs;

pappi 3–6 mm.
2n

= 44, 88, 90.

Packera obovata
Phenology Flowering late Feb–Apr (south), early Apr–early Jun (north).
Habitat Meadows in deciduous woodlands, wet ditches, stream banks, rocky hillsides
Elevation 0–2500 m (0–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WV; ON; QC; Mexico (Coahuila)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Packera obovata forms relatively large, stoloniferous colonies in wet sites.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 594.
Parent taxa 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. 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. 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 obovatus, Senecio aureus var. obovatus, Senecio elliottii, Senecio elongatus, Senecio rotundus
Name authority (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 47. (1981)
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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