Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio megacephalus

Senecio sheldonensis

large-head groundsel, rocky ragwort

Mount Sheldon butterweed, Mount Sheldon ragwort, Mt. Sheldon ragwort
Habit Perennials, (15–)30–50 cm (rhizomes woody, suberect or creeping). Perennials, 30–40(–50) cm (caudices branched, fibrous-rooted).
Herbage

loosely arachno-tomentose, unevenly glabrescent.

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

single or clustered.

single or loosely clustered.
Leaves

progressively reduced distally; weakly petiolate;

blades lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 10–18+ × 1–2(–3+) cm, bases tapered, margins entire or wavy (often with dark, cartilaginous denticles; mid leaves similar, smaller, sessile; distal leaves bractlike).

evenly distributed;

petiolate or subsessile;

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

± 13;

corolla laminae (5–)15–20 mm.

± 8;

corolla laminae ± 10 mm.
Phyllaries

± 21, 9–12(–14) mm, tips not notably blackened (short-hairy).

± 13, 7–10 mm, tips black (hairy).
Calyculi

of 5–8+ linear to filiform bractlets (lengths 1/2–7/8+ phyllaries).

of 3–7 bractlets (0.5–3 mm).
Heads

usually 1 (sometimes subtended by 1–2 smaller heads).

(1–)3–5(–6) in cymiform arrays.
Cypselae

glabrous.

glabrous.
2n

= 40.

Senecio megacephalus

Senecio sheldonensis
Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late Jul–mid Aug.
Habitat Rocky, moist or drying sites, especially on mountain slopes Subalpine meadows and valleys
Elevation 1500–2500 m (4900–8200 ft) 1200–1800 m (3900–5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; WY; AB; BC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
BC; NT; YT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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. 553. 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. lugens, S. lyonii, 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
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 410. (1841) A. E. Porsild: Canad. Field-Naturalist 64: 43. (1950)
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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