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New England groundsel, Schweinitz's groundsel, Schweinitz's ragwort

weak groundsel

Habit Perennials, 40–70+ cm, fibrous-rooted and/or rhizomatous (rhizomes weakly branched). Perennials, 20–50+ cm; ± fibrous-rooted (caudices weakly branched, relatively short).
Stems

1, glabrous or leaf axils sparsely tomentose.

1 or 2–4, clustered, bases sparsely floccose-tomentose or glabrous, leaf axils tomentose.

Basal leaves

(and proximal cauline) petiolate;

blades narrowly ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 30–70+ × 10–20+ mm, bases abruptly contracted to subcordate, margins usually serrate-dentate, sometimes subcrenate (apices acute).

(and proximal cauline, turgid) petiolate;

blades elliptic to ovate or subreniform, 20–40+ × 15–30+ mm, bases cuneate to subcordate, margins subentire or crenate to crenate-dentate.

Cauline leaves

gradually reduced (± sessile; lacerate to subcrenate).

gradually reduced (sessile; pinnately lobed, sinuses deep, rounded, ultimate margins entire or subentire).

Peduncles

bracteate, glabrous.

ebracteate (or bractlets short), glabrous or sparsely hairy.

Ray florets

8–13;

corolla laminae 4–7 mm.

0.

Disc florets

50–70+;

corolla tubes 3.5–4 mm, limbs 3–3.5 mm.

45–65+;

corolla tubes 3–4 mm, limbs 2–3 mm.

Phyllaries

13 or 21, light green (tips sometimes black), 5–8 mm, glabrous.

13 or 21, green (tips cyanic), 6–8+ mm, glabrous.

Calyculi

conspicuous.

inconspicuous.

Heads

8–20+ in loose, corymbiform arrays.

6–20 in open or compact, corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 5–5.5 mm.

1–2 mm, glabrous;

pappi 4.5–5.5 mm.

2n

= 44.

= 46.

Packera schweinitziana

Packera debilis

Phenology Flowering May–Jul. Flowering late Jun–mid Aug.
Habitat Sunny, wet areas, meadows, swamps, ditches, roadsides Meadows, usually in alkaline soils
Elevation 100–1800 m (300–5900 ft) 1700–3000 m (5600–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ME; NC; NH; NY; TN; VT; NB; NS; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; WY
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Packera schweinitziana is rarely mistaken for any other taxon. It grows on slightly acidic soils and may reproduce vegetatively by branched rhizomes. The group of populations on Roan Mountain on the Tennessee-North Carolina border is disjunct from the main distribution.

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

Packera debilis is the most abundant of the rayless species of Packera in the southern Rocky Mountains. It is infrequently collected, nearly always from wet, alkaline meadows. The lobing and subsucculent nature of the leaves may be related to the substrate; that has not been tested experimentally.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 598. FNA vol. 20, p. 584.
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. obovata, P. ogotorukensis, P. pauciflora, P. paupercula, P. plattensis, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, P. quercetorum, P. sanguisorboides, 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. 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 schweinitzianus, Senecio aureus var. lanceolatus, Senecio robbinsii Senecio debilis, Senecio fedifolius, Senecio nephrophyllus
Name authority (Nuttall) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 48. (1981) (Nuttall) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 46. (1981)
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