Senecio vulgaris
Senecio flaccidus
common groundsel, common ragwort, old-man-in-the-spring
Douglas' groundsel, Mono groundsel, shrubby butterweed, shrubby ragwort, threadleaf groundsel, threadleaf ragwort
glabrous or sparsely and unevenly tomentose when young.
glabrous or ± lanate-tomentose.
usually 1.
usually multiple (little branched, arching-erect).
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;
sessile or obscurely petiolate;
blades narrowly linear to filiform (or pinnatifid, the segments linear to filiform), 3–10(–12) cm, bases ± linear, ultimate margins entire or remotely toothed (fascicles of smaller leaves sometimes borne in axils of larger leaves).
0.
usually ± 8 or ± 13, sometimes ± 21;
corolla laminae 10–15(–20) mm (mostly yellow, sometimes ochroleucous).
± 21, 4–6 mm, tips usually green, sometimes black.
± 13 or ± 21+, 5–10(–12) mm, tips green or minutely black.
of 2–4(–6+) bractlets (prominent, black-tipped, lengths about 1/4 phyllaries).
usually of 3–5+ bractlets (lengths often to 1/2+ phyllaries), sometimes 0.
8–20 in loose, corymbiform arrays.
(1–)3–10(–20+) in corymbiform or subcorymbiform clusters, often gathered in larger, showy arrays (involucres campanulate or cylindric).
usually sparsely hairy, sometimes nearly glabrous.
hairy.
= 40.
= 40.
Senecio vulgaris
Senecio flaccidus
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).
The varieties of Senecio flaccidus are distinguished by morphologic tendencies and geography. The species occurs southward to central Mexico; a sound understanding of the infraspecific taxonomy must await revisionary studies that include the Mexican plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Herbage usually tomentose (hairs whitish), sometimes unevenly glabrescent; bractlets of calyculi minute or 0; involucres cylindric or ± campanulate; phyllaries ± 13 or ± 21, 5–8+ mm | var. flaccidus |
1. Herbage ± tomentose, glabrate, or glabrous; bractlets of calyculi well developed (lengths mostly 1/3 – 1/2 phyllaries); involucres ± campanulate; phyllaries ± 21, 7–12 mm | → 2 |
2. Plants usually ± tomentose (usually with persistent, uneven grayish tomentum), sometimes unevenly glabrescent; California w of crests of Sierra Nevada and related ranges | var. douglasii |
2. Plants glabrate or glabrous; California deserts e of crest of Sierra Nevada and eastward | var. monoensis |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
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- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
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