Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio spartioides

Senecio ertterae

broom groundsel, broom senecio, broom-like ragwort, grass-leaf ragwort, many-head groundsel

ertter's groundsel, ertter's ragwort
Habit Subshrubs, 20–120+ cm (taproots forming woody crowns). Annuals, 20–50(–60+) cm (taproots relatively thin, twisted).
Herbage

usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely, unevenly hairy.

(± turgid or subsucculent) unevenly villous-tomentose, glabrescent.
Stems

usually multiple (branching and arching upward).

usually single, rarely clustered.
Leaves

evenly distributed (proximal often smaller);

sessile or obscurely petiolate;

blades narrowly linear to filiform (or parted into linear-filiform lobes), 5–10 cm × 1–6 mm, bases ± linear, ultimate margins entire.

progressively reduced distally (basal usually withering before flowering); petiolate (petioles winged);

blades oblanceolate to spatulate, 4–7 × 1.5–3 cm, bases tapered, margins incised (distal leaves sessile, bractlike).
Ray florets

± 5 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–12 mm.

± 8 (± 13?);

corolla laminae 5–6 mm.
Phyllaries

usually ± 8, sometimes ± 13, (5–)6–9(–10) mm, tips green or minutely black.

± 13, 6–7 mm, tips green.
Calyculi

0 or of 1–3+ (minute, inconspicuous) bractlets.

of 1–5+ linear to subulate bractlets (to 4 mm).
Heads

10–20(–60) in compound corymbiform arrays (involucres cylindric or narrowly campanulate, 3–6 mm diam.).

6–10(–20) in cymiform arrays.
Cypselae

usually hirtellous, sometimes glabrous.

usually hairy (especially on angles), sometimes glabrous.
2n

= 40.

= 40.

Senecio spartioides

Senecio ertterae
Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering late summer–early fall.
Habitat Open, dry disturbed sites, especially stream banks and hillsides Talus slopes of greenish yellow ash tuff
Elevation 1000–3500 m (3300–11500 ft) 900–1200 m (3000–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NE; NM; NV; SD; TX; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants with the leaves parted into lobes that are seldom more than 1 mm wide have been recognized as Senecio spartioides var. multicapitatus (or as S. multicapitatus); expression of the character is inconsistent throughout the range and recognition of the two entities is all but impossible to maintain.

Senecio spartioides apparently hybridizes with S. eremophilus in Garfield County, Utah, and perhaps elsewhere (cf., Holmgren, Reveal, and LaFrance 3463, BRY, KSC, NY). The name Senecio toiyabensis rests upon materials that suggest introgression with S. fremontii. Some specimens usually referred to 41. S. pattersonensis suggest introgression with S. spartioides.

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

Of conservation concern.

Senecio erterrae is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 559. FNA vol. 20, p. 561.
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. sacramentanus, S. scorzonella, S. serra, S. sheldonensis, S. soldanella, 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. 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
Synonyms S. andersonii, S. incurvus, S. multicapitatus, S. serra var. sanctus, S. spartioides var. granularis, S. toiyabensis
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 438. (1843) T. M. Barkley: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl., ser. 2, 10: 124. (1978)
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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