Flora of North America species comparison

The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Senecio integerrimus

Senecio elegans

lambstongue ragwort, mountain butterweed, one-stem butterweed, tall western groundsel, western groundsel

purple ragwort, red-purple ragwort
Habit Perennials (possibly biennials), (10–)20–70 cm (caudices buttonlike, roots fleshy-fibrous). Annuals, 20–40(–60) cm (taprooted).
Herbage

arachnose, loosely tomentose, or villous (hairs crisped, jointed), glabrescent.

(somewhat sticky) hairy or unevenly glabrate.
Stems

single.

single (often branching distally).
Leaves

progressively reduced distally; ± petiolate;

blades elliptic, lanceolate, linear, oblanceolate, rounded-deltate, or suborbiculate, 6–25 × 1–6 cm, bases ± tapered or truncate to cordate, margins entire or ± dentate (distal leaves sessile, bractlike).

evenly distributed; petiolate (petiole bases ± expanded);

blades obovate (lyrate to pinnatifid, lobes linear to ± cruciate), 3–8 × 1.5–3.5 cm, bases contracted or tapered, ultimate margins ± dentate to crenate.
Ray florets

usually ± 8 or ± 13, sometimes 0;

corolla laminae 6–15(–20) mm (usually yellow, ochroleucous to white in one variety).

± 13;

corolla laminae (deep red to purple) 10–15 mm.
Phyllaries

usually ± 13 or ± 21, rarely ± 8, (4–)5–12(–15) mm, tips usually black, sometimes green.

± 13+, 6–10 mm, tips black.
Calyculi

of 1–5+ linear to filiform bractlets (seldom more than 2 mm).

of 8–14 ± ovate bractlets (lengths to 1/2 phyllaries).
Heads

6–20(–40+) in corymbiform arrays (peduncle of terminal head often shorter than others).

8–20 in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

usually glabrous, sometimes hirtellous (mostly on angles).

usually hairy.
2n

= 40, 80.

= 20.

Senecio integerrimus

Senecio elegans
Phenology Flowering mostly spring–summer (sparingly at other times).
Habitat Disturbed coastal sites
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; IA; ID; KS; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Africa [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).

The varieties of Senecio integerrimus are distinguished by morphology and geography.

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

Senecio elegans escapes from cultivation and persists along the central coast of California. Native to South Africa, it is now established widely in areas of Mediterranean climate.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Basal leaves with distinct petioles, blades usually ovate to rounded-deltate, sometimes obovate to oblanceolate; ray corollas white or ochroleucous
var. ochroleucus
1. Basal leaves with or without distinct petioles, blades elliptic, lanceolate, oblanceolate, rounded-deltate, sublinear, or suborbiculate; ray corollas yellow (or rays 0)
→ 2
2. Herbage glabrous or glabrate at flowering (except in leaf axils and among heads); phyllaries linear-subulate, tips usually green, minutely (if at all) black
var. integerrimus
2. Herbage usually arachnose, tomentose, or villous at flowering; phyllaries lanceolate to linear-subulate, tips black (if minutely so, then narrowly lanceolate and broader than subulate)
→ 3
3. Basal and proximal leaves oblong or lanceolate to sublinear; heads 3–6(–16+); phyllaries 10–15+ mm
var. scribneri
3. Basal and proximal leaves mostly elliptic to oblanceolate, sometimes elliptic or rounded-deltate to suborbiculate; heads usually 6–15(–30+; if fewer than 6, leaves lanceolate or broader); phyllaries 5–12 mm.
→ 4
4. Plants copiously arachnose, tomentose, or villous at flowering; phyllaries linear-subulate, 8–12 mm, tips minutely, if at all, blackened
var. major
4. Plants copiously to sparsely arachnose, tomentose, or villous at flowering; phyllaries mostly lanceolate (seldom as narrow as linear-subulate), 5–10 mm, tips black
var. exaltatus
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 556. FNA vol. 20, p. 567.
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. erucifolius, S. flaccidus, S. fremontii, S. hydrophiloides, S. hydrophilus, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
S. integerrimus var. exaltatus, S. integerrimus var. integerrimus, S. integerrimus var. major, S. integerrimus var. ochroleucus, S. integerrimus var. scribneri
Name authority Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 165. (1818) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 869. (1753)
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).



Type/paste one or more Latin names into the boxes above; matching taxa will show up below the box as you type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list.

(If the plant you're looking for doesn't show up in the auto-complete list, that means it either isn't described in Flora of North America yet, or it's listed under a synonym. And please note that Flora of North America is still missing several plant families, including Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, and Polemoniaceae.)

Choose a data source: Flora of North America, OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

The species comparison tool is brought to you by:
Northwest Wildflowers