Beaver Mountain Groundsel
Packera castoreus
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G1
State (S-rank): S1
Utah Wildlife Action Plan status
- SGCN
External links
General information
This perennial herb can be found in Polemonium, Trisodium, Festuca, and arenaria communities, often on windswept ridges or less commonly downward to the spruce-fir community. It is a southern plateau endemic characterized by corymbose heads that have a tinge of purple at the tips of the bracts.
The affinities of this tiny plant appear to lie with S. werneriifolius, but the leaf blades are seldom broadly oblanceolate to suborbicular.
Description
Beaver mountain groundsel is a perennial herb, typically with a subterranean caudex" target="_blank">caudex, sometimes somewhat sobolif
Phenology
P. castoreus flowers from late July into late September.
Diagnostic characteristics
This species can look similar to hoary groundsel (P. werneriifolia), but P. castoreus lacks yellow ray flowers. The leaf blades of P. werneriifolia also differ from P. castoreus in that they are variable in hairiness whereas P. castoreus leaves are covered in wooly hairs on the underside of the leaf. P. castoreus is also limited to the upper elevations of the Tushar (Beaver) Mountains.
Species range
Endemic to high elevations of the Tushar Mountains in the Southern Utah High Plateaus of Piute and Beaver Counties, central Utah.
Map
Habitat
This species grows in igneous soils and gravel, at elevations of 11,000-12,700 ft in the Tushar Mountains. It can be found on windswept ridgesor less commonly downslope in spruce-fir communities. Occurs with Polemonium, Festuca, and Arenaria spp.
Threats or limiting factors
This species occurs in high alpine, difficult-to-access areas, and there are not many threats. In the past, off-road-vehicle use was a potential threat to this species; however, the Travel Management Plan now in place for the Fishlake National Forest prohibits cross-country travel. Trampling by hikers does not appear to be a threat; in general, plants are not located close to trails, and the steep relief of the substrates on which it grows discourages exploration. Climate change is a threat, including droughts and rapid snowmelt (Alexander 2015).
Taxonomy
No, this species does not have taxonomic discrepancies