Packera layneae

Layne's ragwort

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2 · Threatened

Layne's ragwort is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in northern and central Sierra Nevada Foothills in serpentine soil openings and disturbed areas at elevations of 300 to 900 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces white ray flowers with yellow disk centers in heads 5 to 12 millimeters long. Growing with 1 to 4 clustered stems 40 to 70 centimeters tall and emerging from a stout taprooted base, it displays a relatively robust structure with sparse tomentose hair coverage. Its basal leaves are thick and firm, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, 4 to 7 centimeters long and 0.5 to 2 centimeters wide, with subtle irregular dentate edges particularly near leaf tips. The plant's distinctive white ray flowers, typically 5 to 8 per head measuring 12 to 16 millimeters long, create a delicate contrast against its green phyllaries.

Habitat: Openings, disturbed areas, serpentine soils

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 300-900 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SNF.

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