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Senecio lugens

black-tip groundsel, small blacktip ragwort

island senecio, Lyon's ragwort

Habit Perennials, (10–)20–35(–50) cm (rhizomes suberect to creeping). Subshrubs or shrubs, (20–)40–150 cm (taproots woody).
Herbage

loosely, often unevenly, floccose-tomentose, glabrescent.

sparsely hairy, unevenly glabrate (usually with persistent tomentum in leaf axils and on abaxial leaf faces).

Stems

single or clustered.

usually multiple (arching upwards).

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).

evenly distributed (proximal withering before flowering);

sessile or obscurely petiolate;

blades ± oblong or elliptic, (4–)6–10(–12) × 1.5–3 cm (1–2-pinnatifid, lobes ± linear, 1–2 mm wide), bases ± linear, ultimate margins entire.

Ray florets

(± 5) ± 8 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–10(–15) mm.

± 13;

corolla laminae 8–10 mm.

Phyllaries

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

(± 13) ± 21, (5–)6–8 mm, tips minutely black.

Calyculi

of 2–5 linear bractlets (1–2 mm).

0 or of 1–3+ (inconspicuous) bractlets.

Heads

(2–)7–12(–20+) in corymbiform arrays.

4–12 in cymiform arrays (involucres campanulate, 8–15 mm diam.).

Cypselae

glabrous.

hairy.

2n

= 40, 80.

= 40.

Senecio lugens

Senecio lyonii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering spring.
Habitat Moist meadows, gravelly streambeds, open woods in alpine or boreal sites Ocean bluffs, open hillsides
Elevation 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft) 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; MT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Senecio lyonii is known from the Channel Islands (off the coast of southern California) and south.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 554. FNA vol. 20, p. 560.
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. 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. lugens, 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
Name authority Richardson: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 748. (1823) A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. ed. 2, 1(2): 454. (1886)
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