Species: Packera pseudaurea (Rydb.) W.A. Weber & A. Löve

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Packera pseudaurea (Rydb.) W.A. Weber & A. Löve

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Asteraceae or Compositae

Genus:

Packera

Species Synonyms:

Senecio pseudaureus Rydb.

Common Names:

golden groundsel
falsegold groundsel

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

British Columbia – southern Saskatchewan – southern Manitoba

Saskatchewan:

south-central Saskatchewan

Ecoregion:

Cypress Upland, Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

meadows, thickets, and open woodlands

Associated Species:

Picea mariana

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Packera pseudaurea is threatened because of rarity in the province. Although its range is relatively large within Saskatchewan, there are few recorded localities. No immediate threats are known but are possible in the future.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Roots:

30 – 70 cm tall

Stems:

caudex weakly branched; stems sparsely tomentose when young, soon essentially glabrous

Leaves:

basal and cauline; basal leaves long-petioled, woolly in axils, 8 – 15 cm long, 2 – 4 cm wide, ovate to broadly lanceolate, base truncate to cordate, apex acute, margin serrate to lobed, terminal lobe ovate to obovate; cauline leaves sessile (at least uppermost), 3 – 4 cm long, to 1 cm wide, reduced upwards, pinnately lobed upwards, margins and leaf axils woolly

Inflorescence:

heads 6 – 20 in corymbiform cyme, to 1 cm broad; phyllaries 21 or 13 in a single series, 4 – 6 mm long, attenuate, green, brownish at base

Flowers:

ligulate florets usually present (13 or 8) and conspicuous, 6 – 10 mm long, yellow

Fruits:

achenes glabrous

*KEY TO PACKERA* IN SASKATCHEWAN**
Note: This complex needs taxonomic revision. The key may not be accurate in all cases. Please refer to another key if you encounter difficulty with this one.

1 Plants usually glabrose or glabrate; basal leaves usually entire or dentate, not lobed	2
1 Plants usually tomentose (sometime glabrous) and/ or with basal leaves; basal leaves if present pinnately lobed or dissected	8

2 Ray florets 0 or 8 – 13 (corolla 2 – 7 mm long); plants of northern Saskatchewan	3
2 Ray florets 0 or 5 – 21 (corolla 4 – 12 mm long); plants from various areas of Saskatchewan	4

3 Basal leaves thick; heads few (1-4); involucre purple or at least purple-tipped	P. pauciflora
3 Basal leaves thin; head numerous (8 – 20); involucre green	P. indecora

4 Basal and lower cauline leaves not tapering to petiole, base truncate to cordate	5
4 Basal and lower cauline leaves gradually tapering to petiole	6

5 Basal leaves lanceolate to narrowly ovate, apex acute; margins dentate or serrate	P. pseudaurea
5 Basal leaves cordate, obovate, or ovate, apex rounded; margins crenate, dentate, lobed or wavy	P. streptanthifolia

6 Plants with a taproots and woody caudex; may be tomentose in leaf axils	P. tridenticulata
6 Plants with fibrous roots, taproots or rhizomes; leaves and stems generally all glabrous	7

7 Basal leaves thick, oblanceolate to spatulate; disc florets 35 – 60	P. streptanthifolia
7 Basal leaves thin, lanceolate to elliptic; disc florets 50 – 80	P. paupercula

8 Stems and leaves persistently tomentose	P. plattensis
8 Stems and leaves usually glabrous, sometimes tomentose at base or in leaf axils	9

9 Plants 3 – 10 cm tall; heads few (1-6)	P. cana
9 Plants 10 – 50 cm tall; heads several (6 – 30)	10

10 Basal leaves orbicular to broadly ovate	11
10 Basal leaves narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate	12

11 Margins of basal leaves entire to toothed; involucre glabrous	P. streptanthifolia
11 Margins of basal leaves toothed to pinnatisect; involucre densely tomentose	P. plattensis

12 Basal leaves toothed to lobed, floccose tomentose to glabrescent	P. plattensis
12 Basal leaves entire, except towards dentate apex, white woolly	P. cana