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

black-tip groundsel, small blacktip ragwort

beach groundsel, seaside ragwort

Habit Perennials, (10–)20–35(–50) cm (rhizomes suberect to creeping). Perennials, (15–)20–60(–100) cm (caudices erect).
Herbage

loosely, often unevenly, floccose-tomentose, glabrescent.

arachno-tomentose to sericeous-lanate (especially on abaxial faces of phyllaries), unevenly glabrescent.

Stems

single or clustered.

single (turgid).

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);

subsessile or petiolate;

blades obovate to oblanceolate, 5–15(–25) × 2–6(–10) cm, bases tapered, margins serrate-dentate to denticulate or subentire (distal leaves slightly smaller).

Ray florets

(± 5) ± 8 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–10(–15) mm.

usually ± 21, rarely 0;

corolla laminae 20–25 mm.

Phyllaries

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

± 21, 8–15 mm (sometimes purplish or pinkish-tinged), tips greenish.

Calyculi

of 2–5 linear bractlets (1–2 mm).

of 6–10 linear bractlets (longest nearly equaling phyllaries).

Heads

(2–)7–12(–20+) in corymbiform arrays.

1–5(–15+) in corymbiform arrays (involucres notably large, 20–40 mm diam.).

Cypselae

glabrous.

glabrous.

2n

= 40, 80.

= 40.

Senecio lugens

Senecio pseudoarnica

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist meadows, gravelly streambeds, open woods in alpine or boreal sites Sandy-gravelly ocean shores and upper beaches
Elevation 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft) 0 m (0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; MT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; ME; BC; NB; NL; NS; QC; SPM; ne Asia
[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.)

Rayless individuals of Senecio pseudoarnica have been recognized as var. rollandii or forma rollandii (Victorin) Fernald; they are not otherwise distinctive.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 554. FNA vol. 20, p. 568.
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. lyonii, S. megacephalus, S. mohavensis, S. multidentatus, S. neowebsteri, S. parryi, S. pattersonensis, 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 Arnica maritima, S. pseudoarnica var. rollandii, S. rollandii
Name authority Richardson: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 748. (1823) Lessing: Linnaea 6: 240. (1831)
Web links