Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Summer 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
Habit: 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:
clivorum
- Maxim.
- Botanical name: - Senecio clivorum Maxim.
- Specific epithet:
clivorum
- Maxim.
- 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 . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000
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)
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Further Reading
- A naturalist in Western China: with vasculum, camera, and gun, being some account of eleven year's travel, exploration, and observation in the more remote parts of the flowery kingdom; with an introduction by Charles Sprague Sargent. London, Methuen[1913] url p. 132, p. 222, p. 225.
- A naturalist in western China, with vasculum, camera, and gun; being some account of eleven years' travel, exploration, and observation in the more remote parts of the Flowery kingdom, by Ernest Henry Wilson...with an introduction by Charles Sprague Sargent...With one hundred and one full-page illustrations and a map. London, Methuen & co., ltd.[1913] url p. 132, p. 222.
- Alpines and bog-plants / by Reginald Farrer. London, Arnold, 1908. url p. 178, p. 179.
- Alpines and bog-plants, London, E. Arnold, 1908. url , , .
- Aristocrats of the garden, Garden City, N. Y., Doubleday, Page & company, 1917. url .
- Aristocrats of the garden, by Ernest H. Wilson. .. Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page & company[c1917] url , p. 233, p. 310, p. 310, p. vii.
- Bulletin of miscellaneous information /Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 1903 London: H.M. Stationery Office, 1900-1941. url p. 99.
- Colour in my garden, by Louise Beebe Wilder. Illustrated in colour, by Anna Winegar. Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page, 1918. url p. 268, p. 369.
- Commercial gardening, a practical & scientific treatise for market gardeners, market growers, fruit, flower & vegetable growers, nurserymen, etc. By many practical specialists under the editorship of John Weathers. London, The Gresham publishing company, 1913. url p. 99.
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45 2003 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 165, p. 576.
- Flora of Japan: in English: combined, much revised and extended translation / by the author of his Flora of Japan (1953) and Flora of Japan, Pteridophyta (1957); edited by Frederick G. Meyer and Egbert H. Walker. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1965. url p. 881.
- Florists' review Chicago: Florists' Pub. Co. url , , , .
- Garden planning and planting / edited by H. H. Thomas. -- London; Cassell and company, 1910. url p. 145.
- Gardeners' chronicle of America. New York: Chronicle Press, 1905-1950. url p. 441.
- Gardening for amateurs; a simple, complete, and practical guide for garden lovers, edited by H. H. Thomas. Illustrated by twenty-four coloured plates and many hundreds of photographs and sketches. New York: Funk and Wagnalls company, [1915] url p. 30, p. 398.
- Horticulture. Boston, Mass.: Horticulture Pub. Co., c1904- url , p. 232, p. 269, p. 319, p. 37, p. 376, p. 426, p. 505, p. 507, p. 520, p. 626, p. 643, p. 843, p. 882.
- Hortus Veitchii: a history of the rise and progress of the nurseries of Messrs. James Veitch and sons, together with an account of the botanical collectors and hybridists employed by them and a list of the most remark by James H. Veitch; with fifty illustrations. London: J. Veitch & sons, 1906. url , p. 26, p. 31, p. 539, p. 94.
- Irish gardening. Dublin: Pub. Office, 1906-1922 url p. 179, p. 86.
- List of herbaceous perennials tested in the arboretum and botanic garden: central experimental farm, Ottawa, Canada, with descriptions of flowers, and other notes by W. T. Macoun. Ottawa: Government Printing Bureau, 1908. url p. 98.
- Memories of the months. Fourth series, by the Right Hon. Sir Herbert Maxwell, bart. London: E. Arnold, 1907. url p. 261.
- Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. 7 1912-1913 Edinburgh: H. M. Stationery Off. url p. 77.
- Standardized plant names; a catalogue of approved scientific and common names of plants in American commerce. Salem, Mass., 1923. url p. 262.
- The American florist: a weekly journal for the trade. Chicago: American Florist Company, [1885-1931] url p. 65, p. 950.
- The Entomologist. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., [1877- url p. 93.
- The Florists' exchange: a weekly medium of interchange for florists, nurserymen, seedsmen and the trade in general. New York, N.Y.: [A.T. De la Mare Ptg. and Pub. Co., url p. 1022, p. 1269, p. 228, p. 315, p. 320, p. 666, p. 667, p. 743.
- The Garden: an illustrated weekly journal of gardening in all its branches. London: [s.n., url , , , , p. 115, p. 142, p. 147, p. 152, p. 219, p. 26, p. 267, p. 341, p. 456, p. 561, p. 564, p. 565, p. 609, p. 614.
- The Gardeners' chronicle: a weekly illustrated journal of horticulture and allied subjects. London: [Gardeners Chronicle], 1874-1955. url , , , , , p. 104, p. 114, p. 114, p. 117, p. 129, p. 138, p. 14, p. 142, p. 142, p. 146, p. 154, p. 155, p. 156, p. 161, p. 168, p. 170, p. 176, p. 18, p. 186, p. 189, p. 189, p. 19, p. 190, p. 197, p. 198, p. 199, p. 20, p. 203, p. 208, p. 209, p. 209, p. 21, p. 21, p. 214, p. 215, p. 217, p. 218, p. 22, p. 227, p. 241, p. 246, p. 292, p. 308, p. 323, p. 345, p. 396, p. 4, p. 408, p. 429, p. 444, p. 447, p. 455, p. 5, p. 98.
- The complete garden, by Albert D. Taylor, assisted by Gordon D. Cooper. Illustrated with fifty full page cuts, four line charts, and nine coloured plates. Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page, 1921. url p. 227, p. 227, p. 235, p. 235, p. 429.
- The complete home landscape, by Arthur J. Jennings, in collaboration with Leonard H. Johnson. New York, A. T. De La Mare, 1924. url p. 167, p. 170.
- The hardy flower book, by E. H. Jenkins, ed. by F. W. Harvey. London, C. Scribner's sons[1914] url p. 143.
- The standard cyclopedia of horticulture; a discussion, for the amateur, and the professional and commercial grower, of the kinds, characteristics and methods of cultivation of the species of plants grown in the regions of the United States a Illustrated with colored plates, four thousand engravings in the text, and ninety-six full-page cuts. New York, Macmillan, 1919 [c1914] url p. 1468, p. 1474, p. 3153.
- The story of my rock garden, by Reginald A. Malby. .. with introduction by W. Irving. .. illustrated with photographic reproductions and colour plates by the author. London, Headly bros., publishers, ltd.[1919] url p. 104, p. 126, p. 54.
- Transactions of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. [S.l.: s.n.], 1843-1920. url p. 135.
- What England can teach us about gardening, by Wilhelm Miller. .. illustrated with one hundred and twelve photographic plates and eight plates in color. Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page & company, 1911. url .
- 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.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2657676
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-36114
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13748874
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:244530-1
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 36114
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: SECL3
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 61765
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]
