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butterweed, rayless groundsel, rayless ragwort

Habit Perennials (biennials?), 30–90 cm (caudices buttonlike, roots unbranched, fleshy-fibrous).
Herbage

loosely and sparsely arachnose to finely tomentose, unevenly glabrescent.

Stems

single.

Leaves

progressively reduced distally; petiolate;

blades ovate or oblanceolate to oblong, 7–20 × 2–3 cm, bases broadly to narrowly tapered, margins repand-denticulate or sublaciniate to subentire (mid and distal leaves sessile, smaller, weakly clasping).

Ray florets

0 or 1–2;

corolla laminae 4–7 mm.

Phyllaries

± 8 or ± 13, 4–8 mm, tips green or black.

Calyculi

0 or of 1–3+ oblong to linear bractlets (seldom more than 1.5 mm).

Heads

(6–)15–30+ in corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

glabrous.

2n

= 40.

Senecio aronicoides

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Dry or drying sites in open woodlands, upper foothills and montane forests
Elevation 800–2500 m (2600–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 556.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Senecio
Sibling taxa
S. actinella, S. amplectens, S. ampullaceus, S. aphanactis, S. arizonicus, S. astephanus, S. atratus, S. bigelovii, S. blochmaniae, S. californicus, S. cannabifolius, S. clarkianus, S. crassulus, S. elegans, S. elmeri, S. eremophilus, S. ertterae, S. erucifolius, S. flaccidus, S. fremontii, S. hydrophiloides, S. hydrophilus, S. integerrimus, S. jacobaea, S. lemmonii, S. lugens, S. lyonii, S. megacephalus, S. mohavensis, S. multidentatus, S. neowebsteri, S. parryi, S. pattersonensis, S. pseudoarnica, S. pudicus, S. quaylei, S. rapifolius, S. riddellii, S. sacramentanus, S. scorzonella, S. serra, S. sheldonensis, S. soldanella, S. spartioides, S. sphaerocephalus, S. spribillei, S. squalidus, S. sylvaticus, S. taraxacoides, S. triangularis, S. viscosus, S. vulgaris, S. warnockii, S. wootonii
Synonyms S. leptolepis, S. rawsonianus
Name authority de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 6: 426. (1838)
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