About Packera bolanderi (A.Gray) W.A.Weber & Á.Löve
Packera bolanderi, commonly called Bolander's ragwort or seacoast ragwort, is a species of flowering plant in the aster family. It is native to the west coast of the United States, ranging from Washington to northern California, where it grows in wet coastal forests and woodlands. There are two varieties of this species that differ slightly in both morphology and the habitats they occupy. Some authors have classified these two varieties as separate species. Compared to var. harfordii, var. bolanderi has thicker leaves, grows farther south into California, and occupies more open habitat types. P. bolanderi is a perennial herb that typically produces one to three stems that grow up to half a meter tall. Its basal leaves have blades that reach up to 12 centimeters in length. These blades are divided into several lobes and grow on long, thin petioles. Leaves growing higher up the stem are smaller, and their blades have more lobes. The plant's inflorescence holds several flower heads, each lined with dark green phyllaries. Each flower head contains many golden yellow disc florets, and usually has either 8 or 13 yellow ray florets that are each over a centimeter long. The fruit it produces is an achene tipped with a pappus of bristles.
