Packera streptanthifolia
Packera cana
cleft-leaf groundsel, Rocky Mountain butterweed, Rocky Mountain groundsel
woolly butterweed, woolly groundsel
1 or 2–5, clustered, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely floccose-tomentose proximally and in leaf axils.
1 (per rosette, rosettes clustered), densely lanate or canescent.
(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).
(and proximal cauline) petiolate;
blades ovate or elliptic to lanceolate, 25–50+ × 10–30 mm, bases tapering, margins entire or irregularly undulate to weakly dentate (abaxial faces persistently lanate, adaxial lanate to subglabrescent).
gradually to abruptly reduced (± petiolate or sessile; entire or subentire).
gradually reduced (petiolate or sessile, then weakly clasping; elliptic to lanceolate, entire or weakly dentate).
bracteate, glabrous or sparsely tomentose.
bracteate, usually densely lanate to floccose-tomentose (sometimes subglabrescent).
8 or 13;
corolla laminae 5–10 mm.
8–10 (or 13);
corolla laminae 8–10+ mm.
35–60+;
corolla tubes 2–4 mm, limbs 2.5–4 mm.
35–50+;
corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm, limbs 3.5–4.5 mm.
(8–)13 or 21, green (tips sometimes cyanic), 4–7+ mm, glabrous.
13 or 21, green, 5–8+ mm, densely tomentose.
conspicuous.
inconspicuous (bractlets tomentose).
2–20+ in loose, corymbiform or subumbelliform arrays.
8–15+ in corymbiform arrays.
1–2.5 mm, glabrous;
pappi 3–6 mm.
2.5–3.5+ mm, glabrous;
pappi 4.5–7 mm.
= 46, 92.
= 46, 92.
Packera streptanthifolia
Packera cana
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.)
Packera cana is found in a wide variety of habitats and in a wide range of elevations throughout the western Cordillera and into the High Plains. Morphology is relatively uniform throughout its range except that alpine specimens are notably dwarfed and are often mistaken for P. werneriifolia, which differs by its consistently scapiform habit.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
SW CO Wildflowers- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
KS Wildflowers, 
MN Wildflowers, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
