Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio fremontii var. fremontii

Senecio fremontii
Photo is of parent taxon

dwarf mountain butterweed, dwarf mountain groundsel, dwarf mountain ragwort, Fremont's groundsel

dwarf mountain butterweed, dwarf mountain ragwort, Fremont's groundsel, Fremont's ragwort
Habit Plants mostly 1–2 dm. Perennials, 10–30(–40) cm (perennating bases subrhizomatous, spreading, sometimes knotty-woody).
Herbage

(often purple-tinged) glabrous.
Stems

arching upward.

clustered (arching upward to semiprostrate).
Leaves

(± equally developed along stems) usually smaller than 4 × 2 cm, bases not clasping, margins toothed or subentire.

evenly distributed or smaller and fewer distally (somewhat stiffish-succulent when fresh, proximalmost and distalmost often smaller, bractlike);

petiolate;

blades ovate or obovate to oblanceolate, 2–5(–7) × 1–3(–4) cm, bases ± truncate to tapered, margins laciniate to dentate or subentire.
Ray florets

± 8;

corolla laminae 8–12 mm.
Phyllaries

(± 8) ± 13, (7–)8–10 mm.

(± 8) ± 13 (± 21), 5–12 mm, tips green or brownish.
Calyculi

0 or of 1–5+ usually lance-deltate to linear, sometimes foliaceous, bractlets (lengths mostly 1/5–1/2 phyllaries).
Heads

(1–)3–5.

1–5+.
Cypselae

glabrous or strigose-hirtellous, at least on angles.
2n

= 40, 40+, 80.

Senecio fremontii var. fremontii

Senecio fremontii
Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Talus slopes, rocky sites, subalpine and high coniferous associations
Elevation 2500–3500 m (8200–11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety fremontii grows in the northern Rocky Mountains and interior ranges. Apparently, the plants intergrade locally with Senecio spartioides in the mountains of the Great Basin.

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

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).

The varieties are distinguished by morphologic tendencies plus their geographic ranges.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Plants (10–)25–40 cm; stems straight or gently arching upward; leaves often to 7 × 3 cm, bases of larger ones weakly clasping; phyllaries (9–)10–12 mm
var. blitoides
1. Plants 10–20+ cm; stems usually arching upward; leaves usually smaller than 4 × 2 cm, bases not clasping; phyllaries 5–10 mm
→ 2
2. Leaf margins notably laciniate or laciniate-toothed (segments sometimes also toothed)
var. inexpectatus
2. Leaf margins toothed or subentire
→ 3
3. Leaves smaller and fewer distally; phyllaries 5–7(–8) mm
var. occidentalis
3. Leaves ± equally developed along stems; phyllaries (7–)8–10 mm
var. fremontii
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 564. FNA vol. 20, p. 564.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Senecio > Senecio fremontii Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Senecio
Sibling taxa
S. fremontii var. blitoides, S. fremontii var. inexpectatus, S. fremontii var. occidentalis
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. 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. fremontii var. blitoides, S. fremontii var. fremontii, S. fremontii var. inexpectatus, S. fremontii var. occidentalis
Synonyms S. occidentalis var. rotundatus S. ductoris
Name authority unknown Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 445. (1843)
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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