Packera pauciflora facts for kids
Packera pauciflora, also known as alpine groundsel, is a type of flowering plant in the aster family. This plant grows naturally in cold, high-up places across northern North America. You can find it in parts of western and eastern Canada, and the northwestern United States. It loves subalpine and alpine areas, like mountain meadows.
Quick facts for kids Packera pauciflora |
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Senecio pauciflorus |
About the Alpine Groundsel
The alpine groundsel is a perennial herb. This means it is a plant that lives for many years and does not have a woody stem. It grows one or more straight stems that can reach up to half a meter (about 20 inches) tall. These stems grow from a thick base (called a caudex) and have many small roots.
What It Looks Like
The leaves at the bottom of the plant are thick and have jagged edges. They can be up to 4 centimeters (about 1.5 inches) long. The leaves higher up on the stem are smaller and more deeply cut.
Its Flowers
The plant produces flowers in a single cluster, or sometimes in a group of up to six clusters that look like an umbrella. Each flower cluster has green, reddish, or purplish leaf-like parts called phyllaries. Inside, there are many small flowers in the center (called disc florets). Often, there are also several petal-like flowers around the edge (called ray florets). The flowers can be almost any shade of red, orange, or yellow.
Name Meaning
The second part of its scientific name, pauciflora, comes from Latin. It means 'few-flowered', which describes how many flowers it usually has.
