[Butterweeds, Groundsels and Ragworts: The Genera Packera and Senecio in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort

Packera bolanderi var. harfordii

Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii

Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii)

Harford's ragwort as seen from along the Eagle Creek Trail, Columbia River Gorge.......May 20, 2013.

Inflorescence of Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii)Inflorescence of Senecio bolanderi from Rickreall Ridge in the Coast Range of Oregon....June 10, 2001.
Characteristics:

Bolander's butterweed is a perennial with one or more erect stems from 10-60 cm high. The herbage mostly lacks any hairs and the leaves are both basla and found in reduced form upon the stems. The basal leaves are thick and firm in texture with heart-shaped blades and long petioles The blades measure roughly 7 cm in width and length and are shallowly palmately lobed with the lobes each toothed or angled. Some of the basal leaves will have several small lateral leaflets spaced at some distance from the larger terminal blade. The stem leaes are several and may look much like the basal leaves are become more pinnatific as one ascends the stem.

The inflorescence is a compact cyme with the involucres 5-7 mm high. The individual flowers heads consist of both disk and ray flowers, with the rays measuring from 6-12 mm long.


Habitat:

Bolander's butterweed may be found upon coastal bluffs and beaches and moist woodlands.


Range:

Bolander's butterweed may be found along the Pacific coast from the Columbia River south to California and inland towards the Cascades.

In the Columbia River Gorge, it is found between 100'-4900' from Crown Pt. in the west to about the White Salmon River in the east.


Close-up of the involucral bracts of Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii) - Close-up side view of the inflorescence of Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii)

Inflorescence of Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii) - Stem leaf of Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii)

Additional close-up images of the inflorescence and stem leaves of Harford's ragwort as seen from along the Eagle Creek Trail, Columbia River Gorge.......May 20, 2013.


Leaf of Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii)

Leaf of Harford's ragwort as seen along the Lower Elowah Falls Trail in the western Columbia River Gorge................May 20, 2009.

Leaf of Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii) - Leaf of Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii)

A stem leaf (left) and basal leaf (right) of Bolander's butterweed from Rickreall Ridge in the Coast Range of Oregon....June 10, 2001.

Basal leaf of Bolander's Butterweed, Bolander's Groundsel, Bolander's Ragwort, Harford's Ragwort: Packera bolanderi var. harfordii (Synonyms: Senecio bolanderi var. harfordii, Seneio harfordii)

A basal leaf of Bolander's butterweed as seen in moist forest along the Eagle Creek Trail, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area..............March 26, 2012.

Paul Slichter