Packera indecora

Rayless mountain ragwort, Rayless Mountain Ragwort

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Rayless mountain ragwort is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in the high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and Modoc Plateau in damp stream areas, meadows, and woodlands at elevations below 2,300 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces yellow disk flowers in clusters with no ray flowers, creating distinctive discoid heads 8 to 20 millimeters across. Growing with 1 to 3 loosely clustered stems 10 to 80 centimeters tall from a branched taprooted caudex, it develops progressively smaller leaves up the stem. Its basal leaves are 2 to 5 centimeters long, elliptic-ovate to nearly kidney-shaped, with coarsely toothed edges and a heart-shaped or truncate base. The plant's green phyllaries with reddish tips and its ability to produce multiple stem variations make it a unique woodland species.

Habitat: Damp areas along streams, meadows, woodland

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: < 2300 m

Bioregions: CaRH, SNH, MP

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