prairie groundsel

(Packera plattensis)

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Wetland Indicator Status

Great Plains

FACU - Facultative upland

Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

 
prairie groundsel
 
 
Description

Prairie groundsel is a highly variable, 4 to 24 tall, erect, short-lived perennial or occasionally biennial forb. It is abundant and widespread. It rises on usually 1 stem, occasionally 2 or 3 clustered stems, from a usually stout, erect to horizontal rootstock. Older plants form a small underground caudex. It often forms dense colonies. It sometimes reproduces vegetatively by well-developed, above-ground, creeping stems (stolons).

The stems are erect, light green, hollow, and cylinder-shaped with shallow ridges. When young they are more or less evenly covered with dense, felty hairs. Above the base they become sparsely hairy when the plant is in flower except for patches of cobwebby hairs in the leaf axils and inflorescence branch nodes.

Basal leaves are highly variable. They may be narrowly elliptic to egg-shaped, inversely lance-shaped, almost lyre-shaped, or, rarely, almost circular. They are on leaf stalks up to 4 long. They are ¾ to 2¾ long, to 1¼ wide, tapered, rounded, or nearly squared at the base, and rounded or bluntly pointed at the tip. They are usually unlobed, but sometimes have a few narrow, irregular lobes near the base. When young, the upper and lower surfaces are evenly covered with dense, felty hairs. At flowering time the upper surface is nearly hairless, the lower surface is has tufts of woolly hairs especially along the midrib. The margins may be sharply toothed or have rounded teeth. Whatever their shape, basal leaves are persistent, usually present when the plant is in flower.

Stem leaves are alternate. Lower stem leaves are stalked and similar to the basal leaves. They are either somewhat lyre-shaped, with a large terminal lobe and smaller, narrow, lateral lobes, or cut to the midrib (pinnatifid). The terminal lobe is egg-shaped and longer than wide. As they ascend the stem the leaves become gradually smaller, deeply pinnatifid, and stalkless or nearly stalkless. When young, the upper and lower surfaces are evenly covered with dense, felty hairs. At flowering time the upper surface is nearly hairless, the lower surface is sparsely hairy. The margins are sharply toothed.

The inflorescence is a dense or loose, branched cluster of 6 to 20 or more flower heads at the end of the stem. The outer heads are on longer flower stalks than the inner heads, resulting in a flat topped cluster. The flower stalks are sparsely to densely hairy and have a small, leaf-like bract at the base.

The flower heads are ½ to 1 wide. There are 13 or 21 green bracts united for most of their length into a cylinder-shaped flower cup (calyx), and separated at the tip into pointed, thin, membranous lobes. The calyx is usually hairless, sometimes with cobwebby hairs near the base. There are 8 to 10 yellow ray florets and 60 to 70 yellow or golden yellow disk florets. The flowers have a mild fragrance.

The fruit is an achene.

 

Height

4 to 24

 

Flower Color

Yellow ray florets, yellow or golden yellow disk florets

 

Similar Species

Balsam groundsel (Packera paupercula) rarely produces stolons. The inflorescences have fewer than 20 flower heads. The flower heads have 8 or 13 ray florets.

Habitat

Dry. Prairies, meadows, open woods, cliffs, railroads. Full sun.

Ecology

Flowering

June to August

 

Pests and Diseases

 

Use

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 6/8/2025).

6/8/2025    
     

Nativity

Native

     

Occurrence

Common

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae (green algae and land plants)

Subkingdom

Viridiplantae (green plants)

Infrakingdom

Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)

Superdivision

Embryophyta (land plants)

Division

Tracheophyta (vascular plants)

Subdivision

Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants)

Class

Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)

Superorder

Asteranae

Order

Asterales (sunflowers, bellflowers, fanflowers, and allies)

Family

Asteraceae (sunflowers, daisies, asters, and allies)

Subfamily

Asteroideae

Supertribe

Senecionodae

Tribe

Senecioneae (groundsels and allies)

Subtribe

Senecioninae

Genus

Packera (American groundsels and ragworts)

   

The 64 species in the genus Packera were formerly included in the genus Senecio.

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Senecio plattensis

Senecio pseudotomentosus

   

Common Names

Platte groundsel

Platte ragwort

prairie groundsel

prairie ragwort

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Axil

The upper angle where the leaf stalk meets the stem.

 

Bractlet

A small, often secondary bract within an inflorescence; a bract that is borne on a petiole instead of subtending it.

 

Calyx

The group of outer floral leaves (sepals) below the petals, occasionally forming a tube.

 

Caudex

A short, thickened, woody, persistent enlargement of the stem, at or below ground level, used for water storage.

 

Node

The small swelling of the stem from which one or more leaves, branches, or buds originate.

 

Pinnatifid

Deeply cut, more than half way to the midrib but not to the midrib, into lobes that are spaced out along the midrib; the lobes do not form separate leaflets.

 

Stolon

An above-ground, creeping stem that grows along the ground and produces roots and sometimes new plants at its nodes. A runner.

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Dan W. Andree

prairie groundsel   prairie groundsel

Small plants with purplish under the leaf...

colors. They looked purplish on the under side and green above. They were in the previously burned area at Frenchman’s Bluff SNA. They caught my eye due to that purplish color.

Just thought I’d send this. Could be a prairie plant that turns all green when it gets bigger but I really don’t know.

 
 

Plant with purplish under leaves...

I think this is an older plant of the same ones that when small or just sprouting had those purplish leaf color. It was at Frenchman's Bluff SNA.

MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
prairie groundsel   prairie groundsel

Plant

 

Plant

     
prairie groundsel   prairie groundsel

Plant

 

Plant

     
prairie groundsel   prairie groundsel

Plant

 

Inflorescence

     
prairie groundsel   prairie groundsel
 

Inflorescence

 

 

 

 

Inflorescence

 

 

     
prairie groundsel   prairie groundsel

Upper stem leaf

 

Middle stem leaf

     
prairie groundsel   prairie groundsel

Lower stem leaf

 

Stem

 

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This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
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Dan W. Andree
6/6/2025

Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA

I think this is an older plant of the same ones that when small or just sprouting had those purplish leaf color. It was at Frenchman's Bluff SNA.

prairie groundsel

Dan W. Andree
April 2025

Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA

Small plants with purplish under the leaf...colors. They looked purplish on the under side and green above. They were in the previously burned area at Frenchman’s Bluff SNA. They caught my eye due to that purplish color.

Just thought I’d send this. Could be a prairie plant that turns all green when it gets bigger but I really don’t know.

prairie groundsel
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Created: 5/16/2005

Last Updated:

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