Overview
Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Desert Groundsel, Desert Ragwort
Description
Family Compositae
The largest family of flowering plants , the Compositae (Asteraceae), comprising about 1,100 genera and more than 20,000 species and characterized by many small flowers arranged in a head looking like a single flower and subtended by an involucre of bracts. A head may consist of both ray flowers and disk flowers, as in the sunflower, of disk flowers only, as in the burdock, or of ray flowers only, as in the dandelion.
Tribe Senecioneae
The Senecioneae are a tribe of closely related genera that can be recognized most readily by the nature of the pappus and the involucral bracts or phyllaries. The phyllaries are basically in one well developed, often partially or wholly connate series of equal length that closely envelope the head . Frequently there are a few, very much smaller and mostly randomly distributed, often necrotic-tipped bracts near the base of the main series. The pappus is of fine, soft, often pure white capillary hairs . Heads may be either discoid or radiate . -- Gerald Carr.
Genus Senecio
Annuals
, biennials, perennials
, subshrubs
, or shrubs
, 5-100(-250+) cm (perennating
bases
taprooted, fibrous-rooted, branched caudices, or suberect to creeping
rhizomes; roots
often fleshy
, seldom branched; herbage
glabrous
or hairy
, often glabrescent
at flowering) . Stems single or clustered, erect
to lax
(simple
or branched) . Leaves basal and/or cauline; alternate; petiolate
or sessile (bases sometimes clasping
) ; blades
subpalmately to pinnately nerved, mostly ovate
or deltate to oblanceolate
, lanceolate, linear
, or filiform
(and most intermediate shapes
), rarely suborbiculate (sometimes palmately or pinnately lobed to 2-3-pinnatifid), ultimate
margins
entire or denticulate
to serrate or toothed
(sometimes with relatively many callous
denticles
or teeth), faces
glabrous or hairy (usually arachnose to tomentose
, often glabrescent) . Heads (sometimes nodding
) usually radiate
or discoid
(rarely quasi-disciform), usually in corymbiform
to cymiform, sometimes paniculiform
or racemiform
, arrays (sometimes from axils of distal leaves), sometimes borne singly. Calyculi usually of 1-8+ bractlets
(bractlets often intergrading with distal peduncular bracts, mostly 1 / 5 - 1 / 2 + times phyllaries), sometimes 0. Involucres mostly cylindric
or turbinate
to campanulate
, 5-15(-40) mm diam. Phyllaries persistent
, usually ± 5, 8, 13, or 21 [34] in (1-) 2 series, distinct
(margins interlocking), erect (often reflexed
in fruit), mostly oblong
to lanceolate or linear, subequal
or equal, margins usually scarious
. Receptacles flat to convex
, foveolate, epaleate. Ray florets usually ± 5, 8, 13, or 21 [34], pistillate
, fertile
, sometimes 0; corollas usually yellow, sometimes ochroleucous
or white, rarely reddish to purplish (laminae
sometimes barely surpassing
phyllaries; peripheral pistillate florets usually 0, sometimes 1-8+; corollas usually yellow, sometimes ochroleucous or white) . Disc florets (5-) 13-80+, bisexual
, fertile; corollas usually yellow, rarely ochroleucous, white, reddish, or purplish, tubes
shorter than to equaling campanulate throats, lobes
5, erect to recurved, usually ± deltate; style branches stigmatic
in 2 lines
, apices usually truncate-penicillate. Cypselae cylindric or prismatic
, usually 5-ribbed or -angled, glabrous or hairy (especially on ribs
or angles
, hairs
sometimes myxogenic) ; pappi usually persistent (fragile), sometimes readily falling, of 30-80+, white to stramineous
, barbellulate
to smooth
bristles
. x = 10.
Species 1000+: nearly worldwide, mostly in warm-temperate, subtropical
, and tropical regions
at mid and upper elevations
.
The concept of Senecio in traditional North American floristics stems from nineteenth century botanists who saw the genus as a diverse
assemblage
held together by similar morphologies of the heads
and florets
. Studies in the past two decades have shown Senecio in the broad sense to be a collection
of separate lineages
; a better taxonomy is to be had by treating the lineages as genera. Some of the lineages were recognized in the past as infrageneric
assemblages. A treatment of Senecio by T. M.
Barkley (1978) reflected the traditional circumscription of the genus; a narrower circumscription is used here. Present concepts, plus a catalogue
of genera, were presented by Barkley (1999) .The "species-groups" recognized here are given names
purely as a matter of convenience; the groups and their names are intentionally given no formal taxonomic
status (T. M. Barkley 1978) . Some of the groups may represent natural evolutionary alliances
; that remains to be clarified.The following taxa are not established
members
of the flora
but are nonetheless noteworthy:Senecio brasiliensis (Sprengel) Lessing var. tripartitus (de Candolle) Baker is a South American weed
of disturbed
sites, introduced
on the Gulf
Coast near Pensacola, Florida, in 1893-1894. Its presence was discussed by J. M. Greenman (1917) and by L. J. Uttal (1982), both of whom treated it as Senecio canabinaefolius Hooker & Arnott. It is toxic
to livestock; it seems not to have persisted in the flora.Senecio bicolor (Willdenow) Viviani (S. cineraria de Candolle) is one of the plants
called "dusty miller" in the horticultural trade. It occasionally persists in the flora after cultivation.Species of the African genus Euryops are commonly cultivated in California and Florida and, to a lesser extent, in other warm areas of the flora. They would key
here to Senecio. They are shrubs with leaves dissected
or prominently toothed, phyllaries connate
for the proximal
third of their lengths
, and yellow corollas. Apparently none persist for long after cultivation.Relatively recent collections from low-lying (50-100 m
), seasonally wet, disturbed areas in Orange and San Diego counties, California, have included
semi-weedy perennial herbs or subshrubs 100-200 cm that are initially arachnose to tomentose, soon glabrescent, and have oblanceolate to linear or filiform leaves (2-7 cm), notably small heads in corymbiform arrays, ± 13 phyllaries 3-4 mm, and 7-8 ray florets with corolla laminae 2-3 mm.
G. L. Nesom (pers. comm.
) has suggested that these plants are Senecio linearifolius A. Richard, a native
of Australia and Tasmania.References to shapes, sizes, bases, margins, induments
, etc.
, of "leaves" in keys and descriptions
refer to principal (largest, most conspicuous
) leaves at flowering unless otherwise indicated.[1]
Physical Description
Species Senecio eremophilus
Perennials
, (20-) 40-80(-140) cm (caudices branched, fibrous-rooted).
Herbage glabrous
or glabrate
. Stems single or loosely
clustered. Leaves ± 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
. Heads 10-60+ in compound
corymbiform
arrays.
Calyculi of 3-5+ (prominent
or inconspicuous) bractlets
(lengths
to 3 / 4 phyllaries). Phyllaries (± 8) ± 13,
3-8+ mm, tips
green or black. Ray florets ± 8; corolla
laminae
5-10 mm.
Cypselae usually glabrous, sometimes hirtellous.
2n = 38, 40, 44. [source]
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. [source]
Habit: Subshrub , Shrub , Forb/herb
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Perennial
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
)
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
)
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
)
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
(
)
- Brongniart, 1843
- Dicotyledons
- Subclass:
Asteridae
(
)
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Campanulanae
(
)
- Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
- Order:
Asterales
(
)
- Lindley, 1833
- Family:
Compositae
(
)
- Giseke, 1792, nom. cons., nom. alt.
- Subfamily:
Asteroideae
(
)
- Tribe:
Senecioneae
(
)
- Subtribe:
Senecioninae
(
)
- Genus:
Senecio
(
)
- C. Linnaeus, 1753
- Groundsel, ragwort, butterweed [reputedly from Latin senex, old man or woman, alluding to the white pappus bristles resembling the white hair of an elderly person]
- Specific epithet:
eremophilus
- A.Gray
- Botanical name: - Senecio eremophilus A.Gray
- Specific epithet:
eremophilus
- A.Gray
- Genus:
Senecio
(
- Subtribe:
Senecioninae
(
- Tribe:
Senecioneae
(
- Subfamily:
Asteroideae
(
- Family:
Compositae
(
- Order:
Asterales
(
- Superorder:
Campanulanae
(
- Subclass:
Asteridae
(
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Comment: Data Providers: CONABIO. GCC LSID: urn
:lsid:compositae.org:names:75789BD8-036E-4B4D-87E5-2A7AD0A8648D
Last scrutiny: 16-Aug-09
Similar Species
Members of the genus Senecio
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 174 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:
Myrica pennsylvanica (Northern Bayberry) · Myrica pensylvanica 'Morton' (Silver Sprite Bayberry) · S. acaulis (Senecio) · S. actinella (Flagstaff Ragwort) · S. amplectens (Alpine Groundsel) · S. amplectens holmii (Holm's Groundsel) · S. amplectens var. amplectens (Showy Alpine Ragwort) · S. amplectens var. holmii (Holm's Groundsel) · S. ampullaceus (Texas Groundsel) · S. angulatus (Climbing Groundsel) · S. anteuphorbium (Senecio) · S. aphanactis (Chaparral Ragwort) · S. aquaticus (Water Ragwort) · S. arborescens (Estrella) · S. arizonicus (Arizona Ragwort) · S. aronicoides (Rayless Ragwort) · S. articulatus (Candle Plant) · S. aschenborianus (Senecio) · S. astephanus (San Gabriel Ragwort) · S. atratus (Tall Blacktip Ragwort) · S. aurea (Golden Groundsel) · S. ballyi (Senecio) · S. bellidioides (Alpine Groundsel) · S. bicolor (Silver Ragwort) · S. bicolor cineraria (Dusty Miller) · S. bigelovii (Nodding Groundsel) · S. bigelovii Gray var. hallii Gray (Nodding Ragwort) · S. bigelovii var. bigelovii (Biglow's Ragwort) · S. bigelovii var. hallii (Hall's Ragwort) · S. blochmaniae (Dune Ragwort) · S. bolanderi var. bolanderi (Bolander's Ragwort) · S. californicus (California Ragwort) · S. cannabifolius (Aleutian Ragwort) · S. cannabinifolius (Hempleaf Ragwort) · S. cineraria 'Cirrus' (Cirrus Dusty Miller) · S. cineraria 'Silver Dust' (Dusty Miller) · S. clarkianus (Clark's Ragwort) · S. clivorum (Summer Ragwort) · S. confusus 'Sao Paulo' (Mexican Flame Vine) · S. congestus (Clustered Marsh Ragwort) · S. crassifolius (Senecio) · S. crassissimus (Vertical Leaf Senecio) · S. crassulus (Meadow Groundsel) · S. cristobalensis (Senecio) · S. cylindricus (Senecio) · S. dangarensis (Largescaled Rasbora) · S. deflersii (Pickle Plant) · S. dimorphophyllus var. dimorphophyllus (Splitleaf Groundsel) · S. dryadens (Longnose Tapirfish) · S. elegans (Purple Groundsel) · S. elmeri (Elmer's Ragwort) · S. eremophilus (Desert Groundsel) · S. eremophilus var. eremophilus (Desert Ragwort) · S. eremophilus var. kingii (Ragwood Groundsel) · S. eremophilus var. macdougalii (Macdougal's Groundsel) · S. ertterae (Ertter's Ragwort) · S. erucifolius (Hoary Ragwort) · S. erucifolius erucifolius (Hoary Groundsel) · S. eurycephalus Torr. & A.Gray var. eurycephalus Torr. & A.Gray ex A.Gray (Widehead Groundsel) · S. eurycephalus var. eurycephalus (Siskiyou Ragwort) · S. ficoides (Senecio) · S. flaccidus (Douglas Senecio) · S. flaccidus var. douglasii (Douglas' Groundsel) · S. flaccidus var. flaccidus (Threadleaf Groundsel) · S. flaccidus var. monoensis (Green Groundsel) · S. fremontii (Dwarf Mountain Ragwort) · S. fremontii var. blitoides (Dwarf Mountain Ragwort) · S. fremontii var. fremontii (Dwarf Mountain Ragwort) · S. fremontii var. inexpectatus (Dwarf Mountain Ragwort) · S. fremontii var. occidentalis (Dwarf Mountain Ragwort) · S. glastifolius (Holly-Leaved Senecio) · S. gunnii (Mountain Fireweed) · S. haworthii (Senecio) · S. herreanus (String of Beads Cactus) · S. herreianus (Gooseberry) · S. hispidulus (Hispid Fireweed) · S. hybridus (Common Ragwort) · S. hydrophiloides (Tall Groundsel) · S. hydrophilus (Alkali Marsh Groundsel) · S. hypoleucus (Pale Groundsel) · S. inaequidens (Narrow-Leaved Ragwort) · S. integerrimus (Columbia Ragwort) · S. integerrimus Nutt. var. exaltatus (Nutt.) Cronq. (Columbia Groundsel) · S. integerrimus var. exaltatus (Columbia Groundsel) · S. integerrimus var. integerrimus (Lambstongue Ragwort) · S. integerrimus var. major (Lambstongue Groundsel) · S. integerrimus var. ochroleucus (Paleyellow Ragwort) · S. integerrimus var. scribneri (Scribner's Ragwort) · S. jacobaea (Ragwort) · S. jacobaea dunensis (Ragwort) · S. jacobaea jacobaea (Ragwort) · S. jacobsenii (Trailing Jade) · S. kirkii (Tree Daisy) · S. kleinia (Mountain Grass) · S. kleiniaeformis (Spear Head) · S. kleiniiformis (Spearhead) · S. lamarckianus (Bois De Ch) · S. lemmonii (Lemmon Groundsel) · S. linearifolius (Fireweed) · S. littoralis (Woolly Ragwort)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- An annotated catalogue of types of the University of Illinois mycological collections (ILL) / Urbana: University of Illinois Press, c1997. url p. 324.
- Annotated list of the ferns and flowering plants of New York state, by Homer D. House. Albany, The University of the state of New York, 1924. url p. 741.
- Annual report upon explorations and surveys in the department of the Missouri / Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1878. url p. 1837.
- Botany. Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1871. url .
- Budd's flora of the Canadian Prairie Provinces / [Ottawa]: Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, 1987. url p. 774, p. 777, p. 778.
- Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. Los Angeles, Calif.: The Academy, 1902-1971. url p. 35.
- Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 38 1911 New York: Torrey Botanical Club, 1870-1996 url p. 238, p. 240, p. 466, p. 467, p. 468.
- Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories / Department of the Interior. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1874- url p. 816.
- Carnegie Institution of Washington publication. Washington, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1902- url p. 25.
- Contributions from the New York Botanical Garden. New York: The Garden, 1899- url p. 466, p. 467, p. 468.
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 25 1925 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 612.
- Ferns and flowering plants of South Dakota. Sioux Falls, S.D.: W.A. Beach, 1899 url p. 212.
- First report on the flora of Wyoming / Aven Nelson. Laramie: Wyoming Experiment Station, 1896. url p. 141.
- Hooker, W. J. Flora boreali-americana, or, the botany of the northern parts of British America: compiled principally from the plants collected by Dr. Richardson & Mr. Drummond on the late northern expeditions, under command of Captain Sir John Franklin, R.N. To which are added (by permission of the Horticultural society of London, ) those of Mr. Douglas, from north-west America, and of other naturalists /by Sir William Jackson Hooker. 1 1840 London, H.G. Bohn [1829]-1840. url p. 334.
- IX.
- Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. [Boston: The Academy, url p. 108.
- Muhlenbergia. Chico, Calif. [etc] url p. 116.
- New manual of botany of the central Rocky mountains (vascular plants) Cincinnati [etc.]American Book Company[c1909] url .
- Phytologia. Bronx Park, New York, H.A. Gleason and H.N. Moldenke, url p. 392.
- Plant indicators: the relation of plant communities to process and practice. WashingtonCarnegie Institution of Washington1920 url p. 25.
- Plant species of concern / Helena, Mont.: Montana Natural Heritage Program, c2006. url , .
- Plantae Bakerianae by Edw. L. Greene, and others. Washington, D.C.: s.n., 1901 url p. 26.
- Plantae Fendlerianae Novi-Mexicanae: an account of a collection of plants made chiefly in the vicinity of Santa Fe? New Mexico, by Augustus Fendler /with descriptions of the new species, critical remarks and characters of other undescribed or little known plants from surrounding regions by Asa Gray. 1848 Boston, 1848 url p. 108.
- Plantæ Bakerianæ / by Edw. L. Greene and others. [Washington, D.C.: s.n., 1901. url p. 26.
- Proceedings of the Rochester Academy of Science. Rochester, N.Y.: The Academy.1889- url p. 98.
- Report of the geological exploration of the fortieth parallel / Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1870-80 url , p. 191.
- Rocky mountain flowers; an illustrated guide for plantlovers and plant-users; with twenty-five plates in color and twenty-one plates in black and white [by] Frederic Edward Clements...and Edith Schwartz Clements... 1914 New York city, the H.W. Wilson company, 1914. url p. 293.
- Sensitive, threatened, and endangered vascular plants of Montana / Peter Lesica, J. Stephen Shelly. Helena, Mont.: Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, 1991. url p. 53, p. 88.
- Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. 31 1888 Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1862-1968. url p. 392, p. 454.
- Studies on Rocky Mountain flora. New York, New York Botanical Garden, 1899-1913. url p. 466, p. 467, p. 468.
- Syllogeus. Ottawa, National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1972-1995. url p. 76, p. 89, p. 95.
- Synoptical flora of North America. New York, American Book Company, 1878-1895/97 [v.2, pt. 1, 1878] url p. 392.
- Synoptical flora of North America: the Gamopetalae, a second edition of vol. I, pt. II, and vol. II, pt. I / collected by Asa Gray. Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1888. url p. 392.
- The American journal of science. 33 1862 New Haven, Kline Geology Laboratory, Yale University. url p. 238.
- The Canadian field-naturalist. 75 1961 Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url p. 120, p. 128, p. 134, p. 227, p. 27, p. 558, p. 671.
- The Great Basin naturalist. 55 1995 Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 232, p. 333, p. 334, p. 337, p. 629, p. 63.
- The Ottawa naturalist. Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url , p. 160.
- The University of Colorado studies. Boulder, University of Colorado. url p. 178, p. 274.
- The flora of Canada, by J. M. Macoun and M. O. Malte. Ottawa: Government printing bureau, 1917. url p. 9.
- The relation of leaf structure to physical factors. [1905] url p. 101, p. 39.
- Torrey, J. & A. Gray A flora of North America: containing abridged descriptions of all the known indigenous and naturalized plants growing north of Mexico, arranged according to the natural system /by John Torrey and Asa Gray. New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1838-[1843]. url p. 444.
- Transactions of the. .. annual meetings of the Kansas Academy of Science. Topeka, Kan.: Kansas Pub. House, 1883-1901. url p. 57.
- University studies of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln. url p. 340.
- Watson, S. Botany /by Sereno Watson, aided by Daniel C. Eaton, and others. 5 1871 Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1871. url p. 191, p.
- Ediger, R. I. 1970. Revision of section Suffruticosi of the genus Senecio (Compositae). Sida 3: 504-524.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 07, 2007:
- Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Museum of Nature Herbarium
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, The Deaver Herbarium, Northern Arizona University
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
- Utah State University, USU-UTC Specimen Database
- Utah Valley State College
- , Utah Valley State College Herbarium
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2657681
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Ast-11309
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13748869
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:245000-1
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 36127
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: SEERM
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 62598
Footnotes
- Theodore M. Barkley "Senecio". in Flora of North America Vol. 20 Page 540,541, 542, 543, 544, 545, 570, 615. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
