Woolly Ragwort (Packera tomentosa)

Woolly Ragwort (Packera tomentosa) is known by the common names Hairy Ragwort and Hairy Groundsel. The Woolly Ragwort plants require more soil than either the Elf Orpine (Diamorpha smallii) or Oneflower Stitchwort (Minuartia uniflora) and played the role of the bold centerpiece in dish gardens.

Woolly Ragwort plants in a dish garden at the summit of the Bradley Mountain Trail in Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve.

Leaves at the base of the stem are ovoid. Leaves further up the stem have distinctly serrated margins

En masse, the basal leaves dominate; they are turned sharply upward. Part of the effect is caused by the light underside of the leaves being exposed.

The blooms with some buds.

Packera tomentosa (Woolly Ragwort) is native to the southeastern states – coastal states from Maryland to Texas and Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
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Distribution Map:
- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Packera tomentosa (Woolly Ragwort)
- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Packera tomentosa

Identification resources:
- Southeastern Flora: Hairy Groundsel (Packera tomentosa)
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Packera tomentosa (Woolly Ragwort)
- Alabama Plants: Packera tomentosa (Hairy Ragwort)

Related posts:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index
- Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve: Bradley Mountain Trail (Part 1)
- Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve: Bradley Mountain Trail (Part 2)
- Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve: Bradley Mountain Trail (Part 3)