Packera streptanthifolia var. streptanthifolia

Rocky mountain groundsel, Rocky Mountain Groundsel

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Rocky mountain groundsel is a California native perennial found in the northern California Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and Modoc Plateau in forest and open meadows at elevations of 1,100 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces yellow ray flowers 5 to 10 millimeters long in heads arranged in loose, flat-topped clusters. Growing 20 to 50 centimeters tall with 1 to 5 stems that are glabrous or have tufted woolly hairs near the base, it develops from a stout fibrous-rooted caudex. Its basal leaves are thick and firm, spoon-shaped to oblanceolate, 2 to 4 centimeters long, with edges that may be entire, crenate, dentate, or weakly lobed. The plant's green phyllaries are sometimes tinged red at the tips, with 8 to 13 ray flowers surrounding 35 to 60 disk flowers.

Habitat: Common. Forest, open meadows, dry or damp loamy soils

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1100-2900 m

Bioregions: CaR, 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.