Flora of North America species comparison

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Packera obovata

Packera castoreus

roundleaf ragwort, running groundsel

beaver mountain ragwort
Habit Perennials, 20–50+ cm; stoloniferous and rhizomatous (rhizomes horizontal to suberect). Perennials, 3–9+ cm; usually fibrous-rooted, sometimes rhizomatous (bases erect or ascending, branched).
Stems

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

1 or 2–3, (white) woolly-tomentose.
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.

(and proximal cauline) petiolate;

blades obovate to oblanceolate or spatulate, 10–20+ × 5–18 mm, bases tapering, margins entire or crenate (abaxial faces densely tomentose, adaxial glabrescent).
Cauline leaves

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

gradually reduced (becoming sessile and bractlike).
Peduncles

bracteate, glabrous or proximally tomentose.

ebracteate.
Ray florets

8–13(–21);

corolla laminae 7–10 mm.

0.
Disc florets

40–50+;

corolla tubes 2–3 mm, limbs 2–3 mm.

not seen.
Phyllaries

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

purple-tinged, 7–10 mm, tomentose (ciliate distally, apices with dense tufts of hairs).
Calyculi

conspicuous.

inconspicuous.
Heads

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

1–4+, in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

1–1.5 mm, glabrous or hirsute on ribs;

pappi 3–6 mm.

not seen (reported to be glabrous).
2n

= 44, 88, 90.

Packera obovata

Packera castoreus
Phenology Flowering late Feb–Apr (south), early Apr–early Jun (north). Flowering late Jul–late Sep.
Habitat Meadows in deciduous woodlands, wet ditches, stream banks, rocky hillsides Ridges, spruce-fir communities, igneous soils
Elevation 0–2500 m (0–8200 ft) 3300–3900 m (10800–12800 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]
from FNA
UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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

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

Of conservation concern.

Packera castoreus is known only from relatively few collections from the Tushar Mountains in Beaver and Piute counties. Welsh speculated that it may have some affinities with P. cana and P. werneriifolia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 594. FNA vol. 20, p. 582.
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. 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
P. anonyma, P. antennariifolia, P. aurea, P. bernardina, P. bolanderi, P. breweri, P. cana, P. cardamine, 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. 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 Senecio castoreus
Name authority (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 47. (1981) (S. L. Welsh) Kartesz: in J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham, Synth. N. Amer. Fl., nomencl. innov. 20. (1999)
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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