Packera streptanthifolia
Packera indecora
cleft-leaf groundsel, Rocky Mountain butterweed, Rocky Mountain groundsel
elegant groundsel, rayless mountain butterweed, rayless mountain groundsel, rayless mountain ragwort
1 or 2–5, clustered, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely floccose-tomentose proximally and in leaf axils.
1 or 2–3, loosely clustered, glabrous or glabrate.
(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).
petiolate;
blades elliptic-ovate, oblong, or subreniform, 20–50 × 10–40+ mm, bases subcordate, truncate, or cuneate, margins usually crenate-dentate to coarsely dentate-lacerate, seldom subentire.
gradually to abruptly reduced (± petiolate or sessile; entire or subentire).
gradually reduced (petiolate, resembling basals, sublyrate or dissected; distal sessile, subentire to pinnatifid).
bracteate, glabrous or sparsely tomentose.
ebracteate (or bractlets inconspicuous), glabrous or glabrate.
8 or 13;
corolla laminae 5–10 mm.
0 or 8–10;
corolla laminae (deep yellow) 3–5 mm.
35–60+;
corolla tubes 2–4 mm, limbs 2.5–4 mm.
60–70+;
corolla tubes 2–3 mm, limbs 2.5–3.5 mm.
(8–)13 or 21, green (tips sometimes cyanic), 4–7+ mm, glabrous.
13 or 21, green (tips sometimes reddish), 7–9 mm, glabrous.
conspicuous.
conspicuous (bractlets green, tips sometimes reddish).
2–20+ in loose, corymbiform or subumbelliform arrays.
8–20+ in subumbelliform arrays.
1–2.5 mm, glabrous;
pappi 3–6 mm.
1–2 mm, glabrous;
pappi 3–4 mm.
= 46, 92.
= 46, 126, 176, 184.
Packera streptanthifolia
Packera indecora
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 indecora is found at relatively low elevations in eastern Canada and at middle to subalpine elevations in the western cordillera. It closely resembles P. pauciflora and it is often difficult to identify specimens in the herbarium. Biosystematic studies (J. F. Bain and J. Whitton 1994) have indicated that although they are morphologically similar, P. indecora and P. pauciflora have distinctly different physiologies and should be maintained as distinct taxa.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
BC
OR
WA
CalFlora
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
MI Flora
MN Wildflowers
