Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio erucifolius

Senecio lugens

hoary ragwort
Senecio lugens

black-tip groundsel, small blacktip ragwort
Habit Perennials, 30–120 cm (rhizomes branched, sometimes producing stolons). Perennials, (10–)20–35(–50) cm (rhizomes suberect to creeping).
Herbage

floccose-tomentose, unevenly glabrescent (persistently hairy on abaxial leaf faces).

loosely, often unevenly, floccose-tomentose, glabrescent.
Stems

usually single, sometimes loosely clustered.

single or clustered.
Leaves

± evenly distributed (basal and proximal sometimes withering before flowering);

petiolate (proximal) or sessile;

blades ovoid or oblong to spatulate (usually pinnatifid to pinnatisect, lobes ± lanceolate to linear), (3–)5–12 × (1.5–)2–4 cm, bases tapered to ± truncate, ultimate margins (often revolute) dentate or entire.

reduced distally;

petiolate;

blades narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, (4–)8–18(–25) cm, bases tapered, margins subentire to dentate (denticles callous; mid and distal leaves bractlike, clasping).
Ray florets

± 13;

corolla laminae 12–15 mm.

(± 5) ± 8 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–10(–15) mm.
Phyllaries

± 13, 5–7 mm, tips green or greenish.

(± 8) ± 13 (± 21), 4–7 mm, tips black.
Calyculi

of 4–6(–10) bractlets (lengths to 1/2 phyllaries).

of 2–5 linear bractlets (1–2 mm).
Heads

20–60 in corymbiform arrays.

(2–)7–12(–20+) in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

hairy.

glabrous.
2n

= 40, 80.

Senecio erucifolius

Senecio lugens
Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Waste grounds Moist meadows, gravelly streambeds, open woods in alpine or boreal sites
Elevation 0–200+ m (0–700+ ft) 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
PA; Old World [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; MT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Senecio erucifolius has been introduced occasionally around seaports and has persisted. At present, it appears to be uncommon and highly localized; it should be expected almost any place that its close relative, Senecio jacobaea, occurs.

Senecio erucifolius was treated in Jacobaea by E. Wiebe (2000); see discussion under 53. S. jacobaea.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Senecio lugens varies greatly in robustness across its range. It is scattered widely in the Rocky Mountain uplift and adjacent regions from northern Wyoming to Alaska; it is disjunct in the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Superficially similar to S. integerrimus, S. lugens has well-developed, coarse, spreading rootstocks with branching roots; S. integerrimus arises from foreshortened, buttonlike caudices with abundant unbranched, fleshy-fibrous roots.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 569. FNA vol. 20, p. 554.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Senecio 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. eremophilus, S. ertterae, 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
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. eremophilus, S. ertterae, S. erucifolius, S. flaccidus, S. fremontii, S. hydrophiloides, S. hydrophilus, S. integerrimus, S. jacobaea, S. lemmonii, 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 Jacobaea erucifolia S. glaucescens, S. imbricatus, S. integerrimus var. lugens
Name authority Linnaeus: Fl. Suec. ed. 2, 291. (1755) Richardson: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 748. (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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