Packera breweri
Brewer's ragwort
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Packera breweri (Brewer's ragwort) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by . Distinguished by large size, habitat, and massive leaf dimensions.
Brewer's ragwort is a California native perennial found in southern Sierra Nevada foothills, Tehachapi, San Joaquin Valley, central western California, and western Transverse Ranges in seasonally damp grasslands and oak savanna at elevations of 200 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces white ray flowers in radiate heads 15 to 50 clustered in flat-topped groups. Growing to 40 to 120 centimeters tall with a single erect stem, it develops from a stout fibrous-rooted caudex. Its distinctive basal leaves are large and spoon-shaped to obovate, measuring 10 to 30 centimeters long with 2 to 6 pairs of smaller lateral lobes and an irregularly crenate or dentate margin. The fruit is 4 to 5 millimeters long and glabrous.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species. Distinguished by large size, habitat, and massive leaf dimensions.
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Seasonally damp grassland, oak savanna, disturbed areas
Elevation: 200-1500 m
California counties: Kern, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Benito, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Plumas, Alameda, San Mateo, Ventura, Contra Costa, Fresno, Merced, Stanislaus, Santa Barbara, Napa, Colusa
Bloom period
Packera breweri blooms Apr-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Senecio: Packera has green or red bract tips and fibrous roots; Senecio often has black bract tips and taproots.; vs Jacobaea: Packera is native with soft-toothed leaf margins; Jacobaea is non-native with harder-edged leaves.; vs Arnica: Packera has alternate leaves and many small heads; Arnica has opposite leaves and fewer large heads.; vs Eriophyllum: Packera has green leaves with soft hairs; Eriophyllum has densely woolly gray-white leaves.; vs Eriogonum: Packera has yellow daisy flowers; buckwheat has ball-like clusters of tiny pink/white/yellow flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Packera breweri native to California?
Yes. Packera breweri is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Packera breweri bloom?
Packera breweri blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Packera breweri grow?
Packera breweri occurs in Kern, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Benito, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Plumas and other counties, at elevations of 200-1500 m.
What plant family does Packera breweri belong to?
Packera breweri is in the Asteraceae family, genus Packera.
What habitat does Packera breweri grow in?
Packera breweri grows in Common. Seasonally damp grassland, oak savanna, disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.