North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Packera tomentosa

Packera tomentosa (Michx.) C. Jeffrey

woolly ragwort

Synonym(s): Senecio alabamensis, Senecio tomentosus

Image ID: 13008
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: PATO4
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Packera tomentosa
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2017-12-22

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: PACKE
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Packera
GENUS AUTHORITY: Á. Löve
GENUS COMMON: Ragwort
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 65 species, annual and perennial herbs, of subtropical, temperate, and arctic North American, with a few species in Siberia. These species have usually been considered part of Senecio, and have often been given informal status as the Aureoid group. According to recent interpretations, this group warrants generic status, as Packera (Bremer 1994).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Trock in FNA (2006b); Barkley (1962)=Z; Cronquist (1980)=SE; Barkley (1999)=Y; Barkley (1978)=X; Bremer (1994); Mahoney & Kowal (2008).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ASTERA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Asteraceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792
FAMILY COMMON: Aster Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect, colonial perennial of sandy roadsides, sandy woodlands and forests, granitic flatrocks and granitic domes.
STEMS: Stems tufted and spreading via short rhizomes or stolons, unbranched (except in inflorescence), covered in cobwebby white fur (especially when young).
LEAVES: Basal leaves petiolate, held nearly erect, oval to lance-shaped and abruptly narrowed to petiole, to 5 in. long, round-toothed, with cobwebby hairs on one or both surfaces (smoother with age); stem leaves alternate, few, nearly sessile, shorter and narrower, lobed or toothed.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Composite flowers (heads) in branching, terminal cluster; heads about 1 in. wide, consisting of 10-13 bright yellow ray florets encircling a slightly domed central disk of tiny, yellow, tubular flowers.
FRUITS: Fruit a small, tufted achene.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 1-2 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Mixed
BLOOM TIME: Apr-early Jun

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Yellow

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
				x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Outcrops and glades, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE:

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
4630	1992-0786			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
6959	4630	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: PATO4
USDA Common Name: Woolly Ragwort
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, OK, SC, TX, VA)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU				FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Packera tomentosa
COMMON NAME: Woolly Ragwort
SYNONYMY: [= FNA, K, Va, Y; = Senecio tomentosus Michaux - C, F, G, GW, RAB, SE, X; > Senecio tomentosus - S; > Senecio alabamensis Britton - S]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-early Jun.
HABITAT: Sandy roadsides, sandy woodlands and forests, granitic flatrocks, granitic domes.
COMMENTS: S. NJ south to GA, west to TX, primarily on the Coastal Plain, but extending inland in the Piedmont and Mountains in thin sandy soils around rock outcrops, and as a roadside weed.
RANGE MAP: Packera tomentosa.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Asteraceae Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792 (Aster Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Packera Á. Löve (Ragwort)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 65 species, annual and perennial herbs, of subtropical, temperate, and arctic North American, with a few species in Siberia. These species have usually been considered part of Senecio, and have often been given informal status as the Aureoid group. According to recent interpretations, this group warrants generic status, as Packera (Bremer 1994).
REFERENCE: Trock in FNA (2006b); Barkley (1962)=Z; Cronquist (1980)=SE; Barkley (1999)=Y; Barkley (1978)=X; Bremer (1994); Mahoney & Kowal (2008).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Packera tomentosa in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Packera tomentosa in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Packera tomentosa in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Packera tomentosa in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Packera tomentosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Packera tomentosa

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 13008 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 15976 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 13008 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 13008 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)