Packera sp.
Groundsel, ragwort, butterweed, Butterweed
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Packera sp. (Groundsel) is a native California perennial in the Asteraceae family.
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 sp. native to California?
Yes. Packera sp. is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Packera sp. belong to?
Packera sp. is in the Asteraceae family, genus Packera.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Packera streptanthifolia var. streptanthifolia — Rocky mountain groundsel
- Packera subnuda var. subnuda — Cleftleaf groundsel
- Packera werneriifolia — Hoary groundsel
- Packera bernardina — San bernardino ragwort
- Packera bolanderi var. bolanderi — Seacoast ragwort
- Packera breweri — Brewer's ragwort
- Palafoxia arida — Desert palafox
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.