Packera schweinitziana |
Packera paupercula |
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New England groundsel, Schweinitz's groundsel, Schweinitz's ragwort |
balsam groundsel, Canadian butterweed |
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Habit | Perennials, 40–70+ cm, fibrous-rooted and/or rhizomatous (rhizomes weakly branched). | Perennials, 20–45+ cm; subrhizomatous (bases weakly branched, ascending to erect). |
Stems | 1, glabrous or leaf axils sparsely tomentose. |
1 or 2–4, loosely clustered, glabrous or sparsely tomentose proximally. |
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). |
petiolate; blades lanceolate to narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, 30–60+ × 10–20+ mm, bases tapering, sometimes obtuse, margins subentire to dentate or serrate. |
Cauline leaves | gradually reduced (± sessile; lacerate to subcrenate). |
gradually reduced (proximals petiolate, sublyrate; mids sessile, not clasping, lanceolate, dissected, incised, or lacerate; distals sessile, bractlike). |
Peduncles | bracteate, glabrous. |
usually bracteate, sometimes ebracteate, glabrous. |
Ray florets | 8–13; corolla laminae 4–7 mm. |
0, 8, or 13; corolla laminae (pale yellow) 5–10+ mm. |
Disc florets | 50–70+; corolla tubes 3.5–4 mm, limbs 3–3.5 mm. |
50–65+; corolla tubes 2–3 mm, limbs 2–3 mm. |
Phyllaries | 13 or 21, light green (tips sometimes black), 5–8 mm, glabrous. |
13 or 21, green, 5–8+ mm, glabrous. |
Calyculi | conspicuous. |
inconspicuous. |
Heads | 8–20+ in loose, corymbiform arrays. |
2–10+ in loose or compact, corymbiform arrays. |
Cypselae | 1–1.5 mm, glabrous; pappi 5–5.5 mm. |
1–2 mm, usually glabrous, sometimes hispidulous on ribs; pappi 3.5–4.5 mm. |
2n | = 44. |
= 44, 46, 92. |
Packera schweinitziana |
Packera paupercula |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Jul. | Flowering May–late Jun (south), late Jun–early Aug (north). |
Habitat | Sunny, wet areas, meadows, swamps, ditches, roadsides | Wet meadows, open woodlands, along streams, rocky outcrops |
Elevation | 100–1800 m (300–5900 ft) | 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) |
Distribution |
ME; NC; NH; NY; TN; VT; NB; NS; PE; QC
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AK; AL; CO; DC; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SD; TN; UT; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
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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.) |
Ecologically and morphologically, Packera paupercula is the most variable species of the genus in North America. Some “phases” have been treated as separate species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and races. Variation within P. paupercula hints at some interesting evolutionary relationships; characteristics used to separate taxa overlap. Much of the morphologic variation in this species may be due to hybridization and introgression. I do not recognize any of the infraspecific taxa that have been proposed. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 598. | FNA vol. 20, p. 595. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera | Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Senecio schweinitzianus, Senecio aureus var. lanceolatus, Senecio robbinsii | Senecio pauperculus, Senecio balsamitae, Senecio balsamitae var. firmifolius, Senecio balsamitae var. thomsoniensis, Senecio crawfordii, Senecio flavovirens, Senecio gaspensis, Senecio multnomensis, Senecio robbinsii var. subtomentosus, Senecio tweedyi |
Name authority | (Nuttall) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 48. (1981) | (Michaux) Á. Löve & D. Löve: Bot. Not. 128: 520. (1976) |
Web links |
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