Balsam Ragwort

Packera pauperculus  (formerly Senecio pauperculus)

This plant provides a bright vista in late spring, covering meadows with a wash of brilliant gold color. The flowers appear in flat-topped clusters of about a dozen, each bloom about 1/2 inch across or a little more, atop stems that usually do not exceed 12 -15 inches.  Leaves at the base have a relatively long petiole (stem) and are either ovate-round or lanceolate, seldom more than 2 inches long and 1 inch wide and often smaller. Some leaves develop notches or pinnate lobes near the base, with the tip more ovate.  A biennial or short-lived perennial, the foliage often remains green through the winter or revives early in sping as a mat of small ovate green leaves.

There are several species of ragwort that are best distinguished by their leaves, but the taxonomy is still unsettled and several varieties of P. pauperculus have been proposed.

Under 2 feet, sun.

Late Spring (May-June).

Often appears as colonies with mats of foliage hugging the ground.

14 May 2020.

Balsam Ragwort, 21 May 2020.