Flora of North America species comparison

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Packera tomentosa

Packera castoreus

woolly ragwort

beaver mountain ragwort
Habit Perennials, 30–60+ cm; taprooted (caudices relatively thick, weakly ascending or erect), sometimes stoloniferous. Perennials, 3–9+ cm; usually fibrous-rooted, sometimes rhizomatous (bases erect or ascending, branched).
Stems

1, densely lanate-tomentose proximally, floccose-tomentose to glabrescent distally.

1 or 2–3, (white) woolly-tomentose.
Basal leaves

(and proximal cauline) petiolate;

blades lanceolate to narrowly ovate or elliptic, 40–120+ × 20–50+ mm, bases tapering, sometimes oblique, margins subentire, crenate, or serrate-dentate.

(and proximal cauline) petiolate;

blades obovate to oblanceolate or spatulate, 10–20+ × 5–18 mm, bases tapering, margins entire or crenate (abaxial faces densely tomentose, adaxial glabrescent).
Cauline leaves

gradually reduced (± petiolate or sessile, weakly clasping; dentate to pinnately lobed).

gradually reduced (becoming sessile and bractlike).
Peduncles

bracteate, sparsely to densely tomentose.

ebracteate.
Ray florets

10 or 13;

corolla laminae 6–8+ mm.

0.
Disc florets

50–60+;

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

not seen.
Phyllaries

13 or 21, light green, 5–8 mm, usually glabrous (sometimes hairy proximally).

purple-tinged, 7–10 mm, tomentose (ciliate distally, apices with dense tufts of hairs).
Calyculi

inconspicuous.

inconspicuous.
Heads

10–30+ in open, corymbiform arrays (more in robust individuals).

1–4+, in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

1–1.5 mm, hispid;

pappi 5–7 mm.

not seen (reported to be glabrous).
2n

= 46.

Packera tomentosa

Packera castoreus
Phenology Flowering (Mar–)May–early Jun. Flowering late Jul–late Sep.
Habitat Open meadows, roadways, sandy or shallow soils overlying granitic outcrops Ridges, spruce-fir communities, igneous soils
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft) 3300–3900 m (10800–12800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; LA; MD; NC; NJ; OK; SC; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Packera tomentosa is common throughout most of its range. The basal and proximal cauline leaves are held at about 45 degrees to the stems.

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

Of conservation concern.

Packera castoreus is known only from relatively few collections from the Tushar Mountains in Beaver and Piute counties. Welsh speculated that it may have some affinities with P. cana and P. werneriifolia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 601. FNA vol. 20, p. 582.
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. tampicana, P. texensis, P. tridenticulata, P. werneriifolia
P. anonyma, P. antennariifolia, P. aurea, P. bernardina, P. bolanderi, P. breweri, P. cana, P. cardamine, 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. tampicana, P. texensis, P. tomentosa, P. tridenticulata, P. werneriifolia
Synonyms Senecio tomentosus, Cineraria integrifolia var. minor, S. alabamensis Senecio castoreus
Name authority (Michaux) C. Jeffrey: Kew Bull. 47: 101. (1992) (S. L. Welsh) Kartesz: in J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham, Synth. N. Amer. Fl., nomencl. innov. 20. (1999)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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