Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio mohavensis

Senecio lugens

Mohave groundsel, Mojave ragwort
Senecio lugens

black-tip groundsel, small blacktip ragwort
Habit Annuals, 10–30(–40) cm (taproots often twisted). Perennials, (10–)20–35(–50) cm (rhizomes suberect to creeping).
Herbage

(sometimes purple-tinged) glabrous.

loosely, often unevenly, floccose-tomentose, glabrescent.
Stems

usually 1 (freely branching upward).

single or clustered.
Leaves

equally distributed; petiolate;

blades ovate to obovate, 2–6 × 0.5–2(–4) cm, bases tapered, margins coarsely lobed or irregularly dentate (mid and distal leaves similar, bases expanded, truncate to cordate, clasping, 1–2 cm across).

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).
Ray florets

0 or 1–3+;

corolla laminae 0.1–1 mm (little expanded, barely, if at all, surpassing phyllaries; sometimes laminae 0 and heads perhaps technically disciform).

(± 5) ± 8 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–10(–15) mm.
Phyllaries

± 8 or ± 13, 6–7 mm, tips green.

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

of 3–5+ lance-linear bractlets.

of 2–5 linear bractlets (1–2 mm).
Heads

3–10 in loose, cymiform arrays.

(2–)7–12(–20+) in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

hairy.

glabrous.
2n

= 40.

= 40, 80.

Senecio mohavensis

Senecio lugens
Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering summer.
Habitat Sandy or rocky washes, desert flats Moist meadows, gravelly streambeds, open woods in alpine or boreal sites
Elevation 100–700 m (300–2300 ft) 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; Mexico (Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; MT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Senecio mohavensis is similar to S. flavus (Decaisne) Schultz-Bipontinus of the Mediterranean region and southwest Asia, which raises phytogeographic questions (cf. A. Liston et al. 1989; Liston and J. W. Kadereit 1995; M. Coleman et al. 2001). The last cited study showed that a previously recognized variety of S. flavus is more closely related to S. mohavensis than to S. flavus and a new combination was made: S. mohavensis subsp. brevifolius (Kadereit) M. Coleman.

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

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.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 563. 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. lugens, S. lyonii, S. megacephalus, 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. 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
Synonyms S. glaucescens, S. imbricatus, S. integerrimus var. lugens
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(2): 446. (1884) Richardson: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 748. (1823)
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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