Flora of North America species comparison

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Senecio spartioides

Senecio soldanella

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

Colorado ragwort
Habit Subshrubs, 20–120+ cm (taproots forming woody crowns). Perennials, 5–15(–20) cm (caudices branched, fibrous-rooted, roots fleshy).
Herbage

usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely, unevenly hairy.

glabrous (or with hairs on peduncles).
Stems

usually multiple (branching and arching upward).

single (often purplish-tinged).
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.

mostly basal; petiolate (petioles ± winged, lengths 1–3+ blades);

blades broadly ovate to ovate-orbiculate, (1.5–)2.5–4.5(–6) × 1.5–4(–5) cm, bases truncate or tapered, margins weakly dentate or repand-denticulate to subentire (cauline leaves smaller, bractlike).
Ray florets

± 5 (± 13);

corolla laminae 8–12 mm.

± 13+;

corolla laminae 10–14 mm.
Phyllaries

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

± 21, (8–)10–16 mm, tips green.
Calyculi

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

of 3–5+ lanceolate to lance-linear bractlets (lengths 1/2–2/3 phyllaries).
Heads

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

nodding, 1(–2).
Cypselae

usually hirtellous, sometimes glabrous.

glabrous.
2n

= 40.

Senecio spartioides

Senecio soldanella
Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering summer.
Habitat Open, dry disturbed sites, especially stream banks and hillsides Talus slopes
Elevation 1000–3500 m (3300–11500 ft) 3200–4000 m (10500–13100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NE; NM; NV; SD; TX; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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. 552.
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. 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. 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 Ligularia soldanella
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 438. (1843) A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 67. (1864)
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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