Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio lugens

Senecio scorzonella
Senecio lugens

black-tip groundsel, small blacktip ragwort

Sierra groundsel, Sierra ragwort
Habit Perennials, (10–)20–35(–50) cm (rhizomes suberect to creeping). Perennials, 10–40(–50) cm (rhizomes stout).
Herbage

loosely, often unevenly, floccose-tomentose, glabrescent.

closely lanate to floccose-tomentose, unevenly glabrescent.
Stems

single or clustered.

usually single, rarely clustered.
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).

reduced distally; obscurely petiolate;

blades oblanceolate to lanceolate, (4–)6–12+ × (1–)1.5–3 cm, bases tapering to winged petioles, margins dentate to denticulate (denticles dark, cartilaginous; mid and distal leaves smaller, bractlike).
Ray florets

(± 5) ± 8 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–10(–15) mm.

usually ± 5, sometimes 0;

corolla laminae 5–8(–10) mm.
Phyllaries

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

± 13, 3–5 mm, tips usually black.
Calyculi

of 2–5 linear bractlets (1–2 mm).

0 or of 1–3+ lance-deltate to lance-linear bractlets (mostly less than 1 mm).
Heads

(2–)7–12(–20+) in corymbiform arrays.

(10–)14–24(–30+) in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

glabrous.

glabrous.
2n

= 40, 80.

Senecio lugens

Senecio scorzonella
Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist meadows, gravelly streambeds, open woods in alpine or boreal sites Open wooded areas and subalpine meadows
Elevation 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft) 1600–3500 m (5200–11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; MT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[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.)

Senecio scorzonella is restricted to high elevations in the Sierra Nevada–Cascade uplift and the White Mountains of California; it barely enters adjacent Nevada.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 554. FNA vol. 20, p. 554.
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. pseudoarnica, S. pudicus, S. quaylei, S. rapifolius, S. riddellii, S. sacramentanus, 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. covillei, S. covillei var. scorzonella
Name authority Richardson: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 748. (1823) Greene: Pittonia 3: 90. (1896)
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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