This is an extremely rare plant. About 5000 individuals live on one small mountain top in Northern Arizona. Unfortunately, global warming is threatening to push their habitat off the top of the mountain.
June 6, 2010 Arizona, Santa Catalina Mountains, Bear CanyonThere is some confusion in the genus Packera and this might be Packera hartiana. I have decided on P. neomexicanus since there are specimens of it in the UA and ASU herbariums in the area that this was photographed. P. hartiana has only been collected further north.
field image of Senecio pauperculus BALSAM RAGWORT at the James Woodworth Prairie Preserve - several specimens after the flower petals have dropped; one seed pod has dispersed it mature seeds, three other seed pods have opened to begin the white filament wind borne dispersal process
Packera malmstenii (syn. Senecio malmstenii ). I do have some reservations about this ID; while it seems to be a close match, and on first glance it looked more like a small Eriogonum - it is a bit more densely clumped than I would have expected.Rare, local endemic, known from only three counties in Utah.Aug. 8, 2003, Cedar Breaks, Iron County, Utah, approx. 10,350 ft. elev.
June 6, 2010 Arizona, Santa Catalina Mountains, Bear CanyonThere is some confusion in the genus Packera and this might be Packera hartiana. I have decided on P. neomexicanus since there are specimens of it in the UA and ASU herbariums in the area that this was photographed. P. hartiana has only been collected further north.