Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio lugens

Senecio crassulus
Senecio lugens

black-tip groundsel, small blacktip ragwort

mountain meadow butterweed, thick-leaf groundsel, thick-leaf ragwort
Habit Perennials, (10–)20–35(–50) cm (rhizomes suberect to creeping). Perennials, (15–)20–50(–70) cm (rhizomes branched, ± woody).
Herbage

loosely, often unevenly, floccose-tomentose, glabrescent.

glabrous.
Stems

single or clustered.

1–(2–4).
Leaves

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).

(thickish-turgid) progressively reduced distally; petiolate;

blades broadly lanceolate to subelliptic, 2.5–15 × 1–5 cm, bases tapered, margins sharply dentate to subentire (some teeth callous; mid leaves sometimes larger than proximal; distal leaves sessile, smaller, often clasping).
Ray florets

(± 5) ± 8 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–10(–15) mm.

± 8 or ± 13;

corolla laminae 5–12 mm.
Phyllaries

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

(± 8) ± 13 or ± 21, 5–9 mm, tips black (villous).
Calyculi

of 2–5 linear bractlets (1–2 mm).

of (1–)3–6 linear to filiform bractlets (lengths to 1/3 phyllaries).
Heads

(2–)7–12(–20+) in corymbiform arrays.

(1–)4–12 in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

glabrous.

glabrous.
2n

= 40, 80.

= 40.

Senecio lugens

Senecio crassulus
Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist meadows, gravelly streambeds, open woods in alpine or boreal sites Moist to drying hillsides, meadows, other open places in forest associations
Elevation 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft) 2200–3700 m (7200–12100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; MT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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. 554. FNA vol. 20, p. 551.
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. 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
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. 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. glaucescens, S. imbricatus, S. integerrimus var. lugens S. lapathifolius, S. semiamplexicaulis
Name authority Richardson: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 748. (1823) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 54. (1883)
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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