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Great Plains ragwort

cleft-leaf groundsel, Rocky Mountain butterweed, Rocky Mountain groundsel

Habit Annuals, 20–50+ cm; taprooted (caudices ascending to erect). Perennials, 10–50+ cm; fibrous-rooted (caudices weak to stout, horizontal to suberect).
Stems

1 or 2–6+, clustered (bases cyanic), glabrous or leaf axils sparsely tomentose.

1 or 2–5, clustered, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely floccose-tomentose proximally and in leaf axils.

Basal leaves

(and proximal cauline) petiolate;

blades oblanceolate to spatulate (usually pinnately lobed, lateral lobes 1–6+ pairs, their bases petioluliform, terminal lobes usually larger than laterals, often reniform to ± orbiculate, midribs sometimes ± winged and/or toothed between the primary lobes), 40–120+ × 10–30+ mm, bases ± cuneate, ultimate margins subentire or irregularly crenate, dentate, or lobed.

(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).

Cauline leaves

gradually reduced (± petiolate or sessile, clasping; often auriculate, pinnately dissected to pinnately lobed).

gradually to abruptly reduced (± petiolate or sessile; entire or subentire).

Peduncles

bracteate, glabrous.

bracteate, glabrous or sparsely tomentose.

Ray florets

8 or 13;

corolla laminae 3–7 mm.

8 or 13;

corolla laminae 5–10 mm.

Disc florets

30–45(–100+);

corolla tubes 1.5–2.5 mm, limbs (1.5–)2.5–3.5 mm.

35–60+;

corolla tubes 2–4 mm, limbs 2.5–4 mm.

Phyllaries

13 or 21, green (tips sometimes reddish), 3–7 mm, glabrous.

(8–)13 or 21, green (tips sometimes cyanic), 4–7+ mm, glabrous.

Calyculi

inconspicuous or 0.

conspicuous.

Heads

4–25+ in corymbiform arrays.

2–20+ in loose, corymbiform or subumbelliform arrays.

Cypselae

1–1.5 mm, hirtellous on ribs;

pappi 3–5 mm.

1–2.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 3–6 mm.

2n

= 46.

= 46, 92.

Packera tampicana

Packera streptanthifolia

Phenology Flowering Feb–Jun. Flowering late May–late Aug.
Habitat Disturbed, wet, sandy or clay sites, roadsides, stream banks, waste areas Forests, open meadows, valleys, dry to damp and loamy soils
Elevation 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) 1000–3400 m (3300–11200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; KS; LA; OK; TX; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Packera tampicana is fairly widespread along the Gulf Coastal Plain and north and in Mexico. Morphologically, P. tampicana most closely resembles P. glabella; the former grows in very wet, sandy or clay soils and open sunlight, the latter grows in drier habitats, usually in partial shade.

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 600. FNA vol. 20, p. 599.
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. schweinitziana, P. spellenbergii, P. streptanthifolia, P. subnuda, 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. 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. subnuda, P. tampicana, P. texensis, P. tomentosa, P. tridenticulata, P. werneriifolia
Synonyms Senecio tampicanus, Senecio greggii, Senecio imparipinnatus Senecio streptanthifolius, P. streptanthifolia var. borealis, Senecio adamsii, Senecio aureus var. borealis, Senecio cognatus, Senecio cymbalarioides, Senecio cymbalarioides var. borealis, Senecio cymbalarioides var. streptanthifolius, Senecio fulgens, Senecio jonesii, Senecio leonardii, Senecio longipetiolatus, Senecio oödes, Senecio platylobus, Senecio rydbergii, Senecio streptanthifolius var. borealis, Senecio streptanthifolius var. kluanei, Senecio streptanthifolius var. laetiflorus, Senecio streptanthifolius var. oödes, Senecio streptanthifolius var. rubricaulis, Senecio streptanthifolius var. wallowensis, Senecio subcuneatus, Senecio suksdorfii, Senecio wardii
Name authority (de Candolle) C. Jeffrey: Kew Bull. 47: 101. (1992) (Greene) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 48. (1981)
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