Perennials, 40-70 cm; fibrous-rooted, sometimes stoloniferous (caudices ascending). Stems 1 or 2-3, clustered, bases and leaf axils usually loosely floccose-tomentose, sometimes glabrate. Basal leaves petiolate; blades ovate to obovate or suborbiculate, 30-80 × 20-40+ mm, bases tapering, sometimes obtuse or contracted, margins serrate-dentate to weakly crenate (abaxial faces sometimes hairy). Cauline leaves gradually reduced (petiolate, often sublyrate, sometimes weakly pinnatisect; mids and distals sessile, pinnatisect to subentire). Heads 3-9+ in open, corymbiform arrays. Peduncles bracteate, loosely tomentose or glabrescent. Calyculi 0. Phyllaries (13-)21, green, 5-7 mm, glabrous or sparsely tomentose. Ray florets 8 or 13; corolla laminae 5-8 mm. Disc florets 50-65+; corolla tubes 2-4 mm, limbs 2.5-3.5 mm. Cypselae 1-2 mm, glabrous; pappi 3.5-4.5 mm. 2n = 44.

Flowering mid May-early Jul. Meadows or open areas, woodlands, along streams; 1600-2600 m; Ariz., N.Mex., Tex.

Packera hartiana resembles both P. paupercula and P. plattensis; it is separated from both on the basis of geography and morphologic characters. New Mexico populations were formerly treated as P. quaerens; the morphologic characters used to separate the two entities vary and overlap.

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Perennial, 40-70 cm tall; stems erect, solitary or 2-3, loosely tangled woolly-tomentose in the leaf axils and bases; stolons sometimes present; fibrous-rooted.

Leaves: Basal and cauline, alternate, ovate, obovate, or suborbicular, 3-8 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, gradually reduced upward, white woolly-tomentose when young, nearly glabrous with age, margins of the basal blades serrate- dentate to weakly crenate, the cauline ones weakly pinnately cleft to more often nearly entire, bases gradually tapering; basal and lower cauline blades petiolate, upper cauline blades sessile.

Flowers: Heads several, in distinctly flat-topped, compact corymb- like arrays; involucre campanulate to hemispheric, 8-12 mm long, 6-8 mm wide; phyllaries 15-24 in 3-4 series, the outer series ciliate, the inner with membranous margins; ray flowers 12-20, 6-10 mm long, yellow; disk flowers 25- 37, 7-9 mm long, yellow; flowers July-September.

Fruits: Achene, 1-2 mm long, glabrous; pappus of numerous white bristles.

Ecology: Mountains, meadows, streambanks, woodlands, open habitats; 1500-2600 m (5000-8500 ft); Apache, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, and Yavapai counties; southwestern U.S.

Notes: Packera neomexicana is similar to P. hartiana, but it is not stoloniferous. Former treatments have distinguished P. quaerens (Mogollon Mountain ragwort) in eastern Arizona and New Mexico, but morphological characters used to separate this species from P. hartiana are variable and overlap. Packera cardamine (bittercress ragwort) [=Senecio cardamine] is distinguished primarily by the basal and lower cauline leaves abruptly contracted to cordate at the base. Rather uncommon within our range, P. cardamine can be found in canyons, meadows, and spruce forests of the White Mountains in Apache County. Packera hartiana can be propagated by seed or by division.

Synonyms: Senecio quarens, Packera quaerens

Editor: Springer et al. 2008