Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio spartioides

Senecio megacephalus

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

large-head groundsel, rocky ragwort
Habit Subshrubs, 20–120+ cm (taproots forming woody crowns). Perennials, (15–)30–50 cm (rhizomes woody, suberect or creeping).
Herbage

usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely, unevenly hairy.

loosely arachno-tomentose, unevenly glabrescent.
Stems

usually multiple (branching and arching upward).

single or 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; 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).
Ray florets

± 5 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–12 mm.

± 13;

corolla laminae (5–)15–20 mm.
Phyllaries

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

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

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

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

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

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

usually hirtellous, sometimes glabrous.

glabrous.
2n

= 40.

= 40.

Senecio spartioides

Senecio megacephalus
Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering summer.
Habitat Open, dry disturbed sites, especially stream banks and hillsides Rocky, moist or drying sites, especially on mountain slopes
Elevation 1000–3500 m (3300–11500 ft) 1500–2500 m (4900–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NE; NM; NV; SD; TX; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; WY; AB; BC
[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.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 559. FNA vol. 20, p. 553.
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. 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
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) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 410. (1841)
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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