Senecio aphanactis
Senecio flaccidus
California groundsel, chaparral ragwort, rayless ragwort
Douglas' groundsel, Mono groundsel, shrubby butterweed, shrubby ragwort, threadleaf groundsel, threadleaf ragwort
glabrous or sparsely tomentose (especially distally).
glabrous or ± lanate-tomentose.
usually 1 (relatively thin, delicate).
usually multiple (little branched, arching-erect).
evenly distributed;
sessile;
blades oblanceolate to lance-linear, 2–4 × 0.5–1 cm, bases sometimes weakly clasping, margins usually subpinnate to dentate, sometimes subentire (distal leaves bractlike).
± evenly distributed;
sessile or obscurely petiolate;
blades narrowly linear to filiform (or pinnatifid, the segments linear to filiform), 3–10(–12) cm, bases ± linear, ultimate margins entire or remotely toothed (fascicles of smaller leaves sometimes borne in axils of larger leaves).
0 or 1–5;
corolla laminae 0.5–1+ mm (barely surpassing phyllaries, heads perhaps technically disciform).
usually ± 8 or ± 13, sometimes ± 21;
corolla laminae 10–15(–20) mm (mostly yellow, sometimes ochroleucous).
± 8 or ± 13, 5–6 mm, tips greenish.
± 13 or ± 21+, 5–10(–12) mm, tips green or minutely black.
0 or of 1–3+ lance-deltate bractlets.
usually of 3–5+ bractlets (lengths often to 1/2+ phyllaries), sometimes 0.
4–10+ in open, cymiform arrays.
(1–)3–10(–20+) in corymbiform or subcorymbiform clusters, often gathered in larger, showy arrays (involucres campanulate or cylindric).
densely hairy.
hairy.
= 40.
= 40.
Senecio aphanactis
Senecio flaccidus
Of conservation concern.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
The varieties of Senecio flaccidus are distinguished by morphologic tendencies and geography. The species occurs southward to central Mexico; a sound understanding of the infraspecific taxonomy must await revisionary studies that include the Mexican plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Herbage usually tomentose (hairs whitish), sometimes unevenly glabrescent; bractlets of calyculi minute or 0; involucres cylindric or ± campanulate; phyllaries ± 13 or ± 21, 5–8+ mm | var. flaccidus |
1. Herbage ± tomentose, glabrate, or glabrous; bractlets of calyculi well developed (lengths mostly 1/3 – 1/2 phyllaries); involucres ± campanulate; phyllaries ± 21, 7–12 mm | → 2 |
2. Plants usually ± tomentose (usually with persistent, uneven grayish tomentum), sometimes unevenly glabrescent; California w of crests of Sierra Nevada and related ranges | var. douglasii |
2. Plants glabrate or glabrous; California deserts e of crest of Sierra Nevada and eastward | var. monoensis |
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
KS Wildflowers
