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Roadside unknown

15 years ago

This is all over Middle-Georgia right now on roadsides and in pastures. Is is a native weed or otherwise?

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Comments (7)

Iris GW
15 years ago
Could be Balsam Ragwort, Packera paupercula (Senecio balsamitae, Senecio pauperculus). Yes, native, perhaps considered a bit weedy, but a native nonetheless.

Here is a link that might be useful: Balsam Ragwort
qatrina
15 years ago
And isn't that poison ivy under the one on the left? Hope you weren't too close with the camera!
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You're not embarassing yourself at all, Patris, and I'm glad to see you using the FCBS index. The only thing is it's set up so that you can't post a picture that you've found from the index because the URL doesn't change when you click the thumbnails. Next time, copy the name of the plant you've found, google it and do an image search and you can post that picture because they apparently have a different data base for that. Not sure how that works but I just recently figured that out myself. Alcantarea odorata is not a bad guess. It is in the right branch of the family and has a lot of similar characteristics. One difference I see, though, is that your plant is glossy green on the upper surface of the leaves and not silver. Also you describe it as feeling kind of velvety. There are different kinds of whitish or silvery coatings and it is hard to distinquish from a picture which one you have, but a fuzzy texture usually indicates well-developed trichomes (leaf scales) and this is very characteristic of a lot of Tillandsias. The silvery-leaved Alcantarea species have more of a glaucous (powdery) coating to them, which would feel smooth, and the leaf would not be thick or succulent. That is true of some Tillandsias too (although not most), and all of the Catopsis, so I have now crossed that genus off my list as well-- also because of the larger size and not finding a good match. The Alcantarea gets to be 6 or 7 feet tall, I think, so that's bigger than what you've got too, although size can vary. The Alcantareas are a really confusing bunch anyway, at least as far as the names go. There's a lot of them that don't fit neatly into any of the described species. I grew some from seed that my husband collected in Brazil and according to Harry Luther (at the Bromeliad Identification Center) they are all part of a probable "hybrid swarm" and can't be nailed down. I still think Derek Butcher is right and you have some kind of Tillandsia. Tillandsias comprise the single biggest genus in the family and the variations are endless, so that's not surprising. I'm not sure what Derek's title would be aside from being the official cultivar registrar for the BSI, but "guru" would be a reasonable description. He knows plenty and likes to delve into the minutia of what distinguishes one species from another. BTW, now that you are becoming more knowledgeable, please do me a favor and erase the phrase "air plant" from your memory bank. Even the smallest most epiphytic Tills need more than just air, so that's really a misnomer. That, and saying "bromel-AID" are big no-nos in my book! ;-) Here is a link that might be useful: Alcantarea odorata
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razorback33
15 years ago
In your area, that would probably be Packera glabella (Butterweed) or Packera anonyma (Small's ragwort) or both.
In the south, both are in bloom from March until late May.
Flower color is basically the same.
Packera tomentosa (Wooly ragwort) is another common species in GA and is found in the Atlanta, Athens & Columbus metro areas.
Most of these plants are annual or biennial. In a damp location, they can become rather weedy. You often see them growing in depressions on granite outcrops.
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Iris GW
15 years ago
It looked like the leaves were a bit serrated to me and that is why I thought it might be P. paupercula instead of the others (based on the line drawings) you mentioned, Rb.

The one in my garden has the serrated edges as well.
razorback33
15 years ago
esh....
The Flora of North America and Kartesz Maps indicate that Packera paupercula is rather rare in GA and has been documented in only 3 disjunct counties: Walker(NW), Rabun(NE) & Carroll(WC). It appears that the foliage of P. anonyma & P. paupercula is similar and that both have serrated leaves.
Packera anonyma

Packera paupercula

Packera glabella is usually found in wetlands and has compound foliage. It is an Annual, whereas the two above are Perennial.
Many years ago, I grew Packera tomentosa(Wooly ragwort), which was collected at an abandoned granite quarry near the Rockdale/Dekalb County line. I removed it from the garden, after it appeared to have invasive objectives.
Rb
Iris GW
15 years ago
Yes, I did look at the USDA distribution pages and you're right, Packera paupercula wasn't very common. I do agree that looking at the distribution of it can be helpful, I had just thought that perhaps the plant had spread (perhaps with human help) further.

Looking at your suggestion of P. anonyma a bit further, I do find this description and I agree that the photos of the more mature leaves matches what I see in my own yard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Packera anonyma
stoloniferous
15 years ago
patch - yup, that three-leaved plant in there is poison ivy. :)

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