Packera paupercula
balsam groundsel

Alaska Wildflowers | Yellow

Packera paupercula
balsam groundsel

Common Names

balsam groundsel
balsam ragwort
Canadian butterweed
séneçon appauvri

Synonyms

ITIS listed synonyms:
Senecio pauperculus
Senecio gaspensis
Senecio tweedyi
Senecio gaspensis var. firmifolius
Senecio pauperculus var. firmifolius
Senecio pauperculus var. neoscoticus
Senecio pauperculus var. praelongus
Senecio pauperculusa var. thompsoniensis

Subspecies

ITIS and VASCAN listed subspecies:
Packera paupercula var. paupercula
Packera paupercula var. pseudotomentosa
Packera paupercula var. savannarum

ITIS only listed subspecies:
Packera paupercula var. appalachiana
Packera paupercula var. balsamitae

Flora of North America does not recognize any subtaxa as Packera paupercula is a highly variable species where the morphological variation is likely due to hybridization and introgression.

Genus: Packera
Family: Asteraceae (Aster family, sunflowers, tournesols)
Order: Asterales
taxonomic heirarchy

Etymology

The genus name Packera is named in honor of the German botanist John G. Packer (1929–2019), who made significant contributions to the study of North American flora, particularly in the genus Senecio, to which Packera was once assigned. The species epithet paupercula is derived from Latin, meaning “poor” or “small,” possibly referring to the plant’s relatively modest size or its sparse foliage compared to other members of the genus.

The common name “balsam groundsel” likely refers to the plant’s resinous or balsamic odor, characteristic of many species within the Packera genus. “Groundsel” is an old English term originating from the Anglo-Saxon word grondeswelge, meaning “ground swallower,” possibly alluding to the plant’s rapid growth and spreading habit in suitable habitats.

Duration – Growth Habit

Perennial – Forb/herb

Identification and Information

Vegetative Morphology:

Packera paupercula, commonly known as balsam groundsel, is a yellow-flowering perennial herb that grows from fibrous roots. Its woody stem base can be branched or simple, with 1-4 stems. The stems may be glabrous or sparsely tomentose (especially near the base) and are 10-70 cm tall. The basal leaves are stalked and 2-20 cm tall, including the petiole. The leaf blades are lanceolate, oblanceolate (broadly spoon-shaped), or narrowly elliptic, with margins that may be nearly entire or toothed. The cauline (stem) leaves are fewer and reduced upwards, lanceolate, and deeply toothed or lobed.

Reproductive Morphology:

The inflorescence is a loose, corymbiform array of 2-10 (sometimes more) flowering heads. The involucre is 3-9 mm tall and has bracts that are lanceolate and green or purple-tipped. The heads have yellow ray and disc florets. The ray florets are 5-10 mm long. The disc florets number 50-65 and are about 2-3 mm long. The fruits are oblong, ripped achenes.

Uses

For information only (typically historical) – I take no responsibility for adverse effects from the use of any plant.

No traditional, medicinal, or culinary uses were found.

Distribution and Habitat

Map data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), NatureServe Explorer, and Kew

Packera paupercula is distributed only through North America, where it is found in Alaska, all of Canada, most of the northern and southeastern US, and the Rocky Mountain states.

It has a varied habitat, frequently found in wet meadows, open woodlands, and near streambanks.

Classification

References and Further Reading

Guidebook

Pratt, V. E. (1989). Field Guide to Alaskan Wildflowers: Commonly Seen Along Highways and Byways (p. 42). Alaskakrafts, inc.

Johnson, D., Kershaw, L., & MacKinnon, A. (2020). Plants of the Western Forest: Alaska to Minnesota Boreal and Aspen Parkland (3rd ed., p. 190). Partners Publishing. ISBN 978-1772130591.

Classification and Taxonomy

Canadensys. (2024, August 9). Packera paupercula (Michx.) Á. Löve & D. Löve. VASCAN: Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. Retrieved from https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/taxon/3334?lang=en

Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). (2024, August 9). Packera paupercula (Michx.) Á. Löve & D. Löve. Retrieved from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=518155#null

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2024, August 9). Packera paupercula (Michx.) Á. Löve & D. Löve. USDA PLANTS Database. Retrieved from https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=PAPA20

Uses

none

Map and Distribution

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). (2024, August 9). Packera paupercula (Michx.) Á. Löve & D. Löve. Retrieved from https://www.gbif.org/species/3113920

NatureServe Explorer. (2024, August 9). Packera paupercula (Michx.) Á. Löve & D. Löve. NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved from https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.156938/Packera_paupercula

Kew Science. (2024, August 9). Packera paupercula (Michx.) Á. Löve & D. Löve. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:180009-2

Description and Information

Flora of North America Editorial Committee. (2024, August 9). Packera paupercula. In Flora of North America (Vol. 20). Retrieved from http://floranorthamerica.org/Packera_paupercula

Hultén, E. (1968). Flora of Alaska and Neighboring Territories: A Manual of the Vascular Plants (1st ed.) (pg. 931). Stanford University Press.

University of British Columbia. (2024, August 9). Packera paupercula. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Retrieved from https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Packera%20paupercula&redblue=Both&lifeform=7