Packera eurycephala

Widehead groundsel

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Widehead groundsel is a California native perennial herb found in alpine and subalpine habitats at elevations likely between 2,000 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces yellow ray flowers 10 to 15 millimeters long surrounded by green to yellow-tipped phyllaries in open clusters of 5 to 20 flower heads. Growing 20 to 50 centimeters tall with one or several stems emerging from a woody taprooted caudex, the plant displays variable stem hairiness from nearly smooth to densely woolly. Its distinctive leaves feature a large terminal lobe with 2 to 6 pairs of lateral lobes, creating an intricate ovate to spoon-shaped blade that becomes progressively smaller and more sessile toward the stem tip. The fruit is smooth and 3.5 to 4.5 millimeters long, contributing to its distinctive alpine appearance.

California counties: Tehama, Modoc, Lake, Napa, Yolo, Mendocino, Lassen, San Luis Obispo, Inyo, Butte, Colusa, Sonoma

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.