Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio eremophilus

cut-leaf groundsel, desert ragwort, dryland ragwort, Elmer's butterweed
Habit Perennials, (20–)40–80(–140) cm (caudices branched, fibrous-rooted).
Herbage

glabrous or glabrate.
Stems

single or loosely clustered.
Leaves

± evenly distributed (proximal often withering before flowering);

petiolate or sessile;

blades ovate or lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, (3–)6–12(–20) × (1–)1.5–5(–7) cm, bases tapered, margins usually pinnate to lacerate, sometimes dentate.
Ray florets

± 8;

corolla laminae 5–10 mm.
Phyllaries

(± 8) ± 13, 3–8+ mm, tips green or black.
Calyculi

of 3–5+ (prominent or inconspicuous) bractlets (lengths to 3/4 phyllaries).
Heads

10–60+ in compound corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

usually glabrous, sometimes hirtellous.
2n

= 38, 40, 44.

Senecio eremophilus
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CO; MT; ND; NM; SD; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; SK; w North America; Mostly n North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Varieties of Senecio eremophilus are distinguished by head size and distribution. Varieties eremophilus and macdougalii are notably different; var. kingii is intermediate in both morphology and distribution.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Calyculi: bractlets prominent (lengths of at least some to about 3/4 phyllaries); involucres 7–10 mm diam.; phyllaries 6–8 mm, tips green or weakly, if at all, black
var. eremophilus
1. Calyculi: bractlets conspicuous or inconspicuous (lengths rarely to 1/2 phyllaries); involucres 5–8 mm diam.; phyllaries 3–6 mm, tips usually black
→ 2
2. Calyculi: bractlets conspicuous (lengths to 1/2 phyllaries); involucres (5–)6–8 diam.; phyllaries ± 13, (4–)5–6 mm
var. kingii
2. Calyculi: bractlets inconspicuous; involucres 4–5(–6) mm diam.; phyllaries ± 8 or ± 13, 3–5 mm
var. macdougalii
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 565.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Senecio
Sibling taxa
S. actinella, S. amplectens, S. ampullaceus, S. aphanactis, S. arizonicus, S. aronicoides, S. astephanus, S. atratus, S. bigelovii, S. blochmaniae, S. californicus, S. cannabifolius, S. clarkianus, S. crassulus, S. elegans, S. elmeri, 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
Subordinate taxa
S. eremophilus var. eremophilus, S. eremophilus var. kingii, S. eremophilus var. macdougalii
Name authority Richardson: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 759. (1823)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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