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Senecio lugens

black-tip groundsel, small blacktip ragwort

Mount Sheldon butterweed, Mount Sheldon ragwort, Mt. Sheldon ragwort

Habit Perennials, (10–)20–35(–50) cm (rhizomes suberect to creeping). Perennials, 30–40(–50) cm (caudices branched, fibrous-rooted).
Herbage

loosely, often unevenly, floccose-tomentose, glabrescent.

glabrous or with scattered hairs near leaf bases and among heads.

Stems

single or clustered.

single or loosely 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).

evenly distributed; petiolate or subsessile;

blades lanceolate, 4–10 × 2–4 cm, bases ± tapered, margins denticulate (distal leaves sessile, smaller).

Ray florets

(± 5) ± 8 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–10(–15) mm.

± 8;

corolla laminae ± 10 mm.

Phyllaries

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

± 13, 7–10 mm, tips black (hairy).

Calyculi

of 2–5 linear bractlets (1–2 mm).

of 3–7 bractlets (0.5–3 mm).

Heads

(2–)7–12(–20+) in corymbiform arrays.

(1–)3–5(–6) in cymiform arrays.

Cypselae

glabrous.

glabrous.

2n

= 40, 80.

Senecio lugens

Senecio sheldonensis

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late Jul–mid Aug.
Habitat Moist meadows, gravelly streambeds, open woods in alpine or boreal sites Subalpine meadows and valleys
Elevation 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft) 1200–1800 m (3900–5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; MT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
BC; NT; YT
[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 sheldonensis is infrequently collected and poorly understood. The treatment here is provisional.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 554. 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. 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. scorzonella, S. serra, 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. E. Porsild: Canad. Field-Naturalist 64: 43. (1950)
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