7. Packera tomentosa (Michx.) C. Jeffrey

Senecio tomentosus Michx.

Pl. 298 a–c; Map 1257

Plants perennial, from a short, stout, erect to horizontal rootstock, rarely producing a few stolons. Stems 1 to several, 15–60 cm long, evenly and persistently pubescent with dense, felty hairs, the apical portions sometimes becoming glabrous in patches. Basal leaves usually present at flowering, long-petiolate, the petioles with dense, felty hairs, the blades 2–14 cm long, unlobed or uncommonly with few narrow, irregular lobes toward the base, oblong-ovate to narrowly ovate, ovate, or oblong-elliptic, tapered abruptly to nearly truncate at the base, rounded to bluntly and broadly pointed at the tip, the margins scalloped or with relatively even, shallow, blunt teeth, sometimes nearly entire, the surfaces evenly and more or less persistently pubescent with dense, felty hairs, particularly the upper surface sometimes becoming nearly glabrous by flowering time. Stem leaves conspicuously shorter than the basal ones, mostly short-petiolate or sessile, the blades entire or irregularly pinnately lobed, the margins otherwise toothed or scalloped, the surfaces evenly and more or less persistently pubescent with dense, felty hairs, both surfaces or sometimes only the upper surface sometimes becoming nearly glabrous by flowering time. Involucre 4–7 mm long, cobwebby-hairy, at least near the base. Ray florets usually 11 or 13, the lobe 5–9 mm long. Fruits 2.5–3.0 mm long, hairy along the ribs. 2n=40, 46. March–May.

Known from a single historical collection from Barry County (New Jersey to Florida west to Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas). Banks of rivers.

Steyermark (1963) overlooked the single specimen collected at Eagle Rock and correctly determined by B. F. Bush in 1898. The species was first mapped from Missouri by Barkley (1980), who reported that his specimen notes for the species were lost and therefore cited no specimens. The specimen was rediscovered at the Missouri Botanical Garden Herbarium during the present study.