''Packera castoreus'' is a rare species of
flowering plant in the
aster family known by the common names Beaver Mountain groundsel and Beaver Mountain ragwort. It is
endemic to
Utah in the United States, where it occurs only in the
Tushar Mountains.
[''Packera castoreus''.]
The Nature Conservancy.
This small
alpine
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine National Pa ...
plant grows just a few centimeters tall with one or more woolly stems. The lower leaves have blades one or two centimeters long with woolly undersides. The
flower heads
A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...
have purple-green, woolly
phyllaries and no ray florets.
[''Packera castoreus''.]
Flora of North America.
There are about 7 to 10 known occurrences of this plant on the high slopes of the Tushar Mountains of central Utah, mostly within the
Fishlake National Forest. It occurs on Mt. Belknap and Gold Mountain, and probably other peaks. It grows on barren
talus on windy, exposed mountain slopes in
alpine tundra
Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated alpine climate, harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alp ...
habitat above the
tree line. Other plants in the sparsely vegetated habitat include
sky pilot (''Polemonium viscosum''),
Mt. Belknap draba (''Draba ramulosa''), and various
grasses.
[
]
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile for ''Packera castoreus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7122957
castoreus
Flora of Utah
Endemic flora of the United States
Fishlake National Forest
Alpine flora
Critically endangered flora of the United States