Packera layneae

Packera layneae (Layne's ragwort) is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. It is endemic to California, where it is only encountered on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Description
P. layneae is a perennial herb that produces an erect stem or small cluster of stems that reachs up to 70 cm tall. The thick leaves have wide lance-shaped blades a few centimeters long which are held up by petioles. The smaller leaves are found farther up the stem. The inflorescense has several flower heads containing many yellow disc florets and yellow ray florets up to 1.6 cm long.

Habitat
It grows in chaparral and mountain woodlands, usually in serpentine soils and weathered gabbro. The plant faces several threats, and was officially considered a threatened species by the Endangered Species Act in 1996. The plant grows in a chaparral habitat that depends upon wildfires for growth. Other threats include development, mining, off-road vehicle use, grazing, and the presence of invasive plants.

Naming
The species was named after Mary Katharine Brandegee (born as Mary Katharine Layne) by Edward Lee Greene as Senecio layneae.

Later, William Alfred Weber and Áskell Löve placed the species in the Packera genus.

Synonyms

 * Senecio layneae