Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio sacramentanus

Senecio eremophilus

Sacramento ragwort

cut-leaf groundsel, desert ragwort, dryland ragwort, Elmer's butterweed
Habit Perennials, 20–50 cm (caudices fibrous-rooted). Perennials, (20–)40–80(–140) cm (caudices branched, fibrous-rooted).
Herbage

sparsely pubescent to tomentose (especially on abaxial leaf faces and among heads).

glabrous or glabrate.
Stems

single or loosely clustered.

single or loosely clustered.
Leaves

progressively reduced distally;

petiolate;

blades triangular, triangular-lanceolate, or lanceolate, 3–10(–15) × 1.5–4 cm, bases cordate to truncate or tapered, margins serrate or dentate (mid and distal leaves sessile, bractlike).

± evenly distributed (proximal often withering before flowering);

petiolate or sessile;

blades ovate or lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, (3–)6–12(–20) × (1–)1.5–5(–7) cm, bases tapered, margins usually pinnate to lacerate, sometimes dentate.
Ray florets

0.

± 8;

corolla laminae 5–10 mm.
Phyllaries

± 8, 6–9 mm, tips green.

(± 8) ± 13, 3–8+ mm, tips green or black.
Calyculi

of 2–5+ lance-deltate to filiform bractlets (lengths 1/5–1/2 phyllaries).

of 3–5+ (prominent or inconspicuous) bractlets (lengths to 3/4 phyllaries).
Heads

nodding, 6–10+ in racemiform-paniculiform arrays.

10–60+ in compound corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

glabrous.

usually glabrous, sometimes hirtellous.
2n

= 38, 40, 44.

Senecio sacramentanus

Senecio eremophilus
Phenology Late summer.
Habitat Montane meadows
Elevation 3000–3500 m (9800–11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
NM
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AZ; CO; MT; ND; NM; SD; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; SK; w North America; Mostly n North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Varieties of Senecio eremophilus are distinguished by head size and distribution. Varieties eremophilus and macdougalii are notably different; var. kingii is intermediate in both morphology and distribution.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Calyculi: bractlets prominent (lengths of at least some to about 3/4 phyllaries); involucres 7–10 mm diam.; phyllaries 6–8 mm, tips green or weakly, if at all, black
var. eremophilus
1. Calyculi: bractlets conspicuous or inconspicuous (lengths rarely to 1/2 phyllaries); involucres 5–8 mm diam.; phyllaries 3–6 mm, tips usually black
→ 2
2. Calyculi: bractlets conspicuous (lengths to 1/2 phyllaries); involucres (5–)6–8 diam.; phyllaries ± 13, (4–)5–6 mm
var. kingii
2. Calyculi: bractlets inconspicuous; involucres 4–5(–6) mm diam.; phyllaries ± 8 or ± 13, 3–5 mm
var. macdougalii
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 550. FNA vol. 20, p. 565.
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. mohavensis, S. multidentatus, S. neowebsteri, S. parryi, S. pattersonensis, S. pseudoarnica, S. pudicus, S. quaylei, S. rapifolius, S. riddellii, 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
S. eremophilus var. eremophilus, S. eremophilus var. kingii, S. eremophilus var. macdougalii
Name authority Wooton & Standley: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 16: 194. (1913) Richardson: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 759. (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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