About Packera werneriifolia (A.Gray) W.A.Weber & Á.Löve
Packera werneriifolia (A.Gray) W.A.Weber & Á.Löve is a usually small, otherwise variable-appearance perennial herb. It grows up to around 15 centimeters tall from a basal rosette of thick leaves that are linear or oval, a few centimeters long; leaf morphology differs between the western and eastern parts of the species' range. The basal leaves are woolly, range in color from white to greenish, and grow in tufts, with smooth, nearly entire (smooth-edged) margins. The plant produces multiple 10 to 20 centimeter (4 to 8 inch) stems that are nearly leafless, each bearing 1 to 6 flower heads. The inflorescence holds a single flower head or a small cluster of a few heads, and may range from nearly hairless to quite woolly in texture. Each flower head contains up to 40 yellow disc florets, and usually either 8 or 13 yellow ray florets, though ray florets are sometimes absent. This species blooms from July to August. It is a low-growing perennial plant that occurs in the harsh conditions of the high northern and central Sierra Nevada range, at elevations between 3,000 and 4,000 meters (10,000 to 13,000 feet).
