Senecio vulgaris
Senecio eremophilus
common groundsel, common ragwort, old-man-in-the-spring
cut-leaf groundsel, desert ragwort, dryland ragwort, Elmer's butterweed
glabrous or sparsely and unevenly tomentose when young.
glabrous or glabrate.
usually 1.
single or loosely clustered.
evenly distributed; petiolate;
blades ovate to oblanceolate, 2–10 × 0.5–2(–4) cm, bases tapered, margins lobulate to dentate, ultimate margins often secondarily dentate to denticulate (distal leaves sessile).
± 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.
0.
± 8;
corolla laminae 5–10 mm.
± 21, 4–6 mm, tips usually green, sometimes black.
(± 8) ± 13, 3–8+ mm, tips green or black.
of 2–4(–6+) bractlets (prominent, black-tipped, lengths about 1/4 phyllaries).
of 3–5+ (prominent or inconspicuous) bractlets (lengths to 3/4 phyllaries).
8–20 in loose, corymbiform arrays.
10–60+ in compound corymbiform arrays.
usually sparsely hairy, sometimes nearly glabrous.
usually glabrous, sometimes hirtellous.
= 40.
= 38, 40, 44.
Senecio vulgaris
Senecio eremophilus
Senecio vulgaris has not been collected in the Canadian Arctic north of Hudson Bay.
A widely scattered weed of Eurasian origin, Senecio vulgaris is particularly abundant in southern areas of cool damp winters or northern areas of cool damp summers.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
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 |
- Local floras:
BC, 
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OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
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MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
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USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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