''Senecio flaccidus'', formerly recorded as ''Senecio douglasii'' (in honor of the botanist David Douglas), member of the daisy

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

and

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

Senecio ''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Description Morp ...

'' also known as threadleaf ragwort (and threadleaf groundsel, bush senecio, creek senecio, shrubby butterweed, comb butterweed, smooth threadleaf ragwort, Mono ragwort, Douglas ragwort, Douglas groundsel, sand wash groundsel, felty groundsel, old man, yerba cana, squawweed or cenicillo), is a native of the southwestern Great Plains of North America.

Description

Threadleaf ragwort is a fast-growing, short-lived (3 to 6 years) bushy

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

shrub growing to ; common in gravelly washes, dry creek beds, along roads and trails and mostly away from the coast. ;Leaves and Stems: Branched and bushy, ''Senecio flaccidus'' gets its common name from its white, threadlike, bent and matted, tomentose leaves; alternate and deeply pinnated, divided into five to nine narrow linear segments,

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part o ...

, having no hairs or projections, gray-green above, to long. The principal leaves often have auxiliary clusters of smaller leaves. The stems are grooved and the branches are thin, herbaceous above and woody near the base. ;Flowers: Showy flowering heads of

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In ...

ray flowers, – across; eight to thirteen sterile rays, purplish brown disk florets that produce the seeds. ;Seeds: Dicotyledon fruits; each a 1/8 inch (3 mm) long

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not op ...

ribbed and hoary, covered with short white hairs.

Toxicity

Colonizing disturbed areas including over-grazed lands, ''Senecio flaccidus'' helps to achieve a quick ground cover and helps to stabilize the soil for longer-lived perennials but in this situation makes poor foraging for cattle and horses due to the

alkaloids Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

contained in the plant which cause liver disease when consumed in large quantities. Also known as ''Senecio longilobus'', one of the alkaloids found in this species is longilobine, as well as senecionine, seneciphylline, florosenine, otonecine-based florosenine, and retrorsine.

Distribution

Like many ''Senecio'' ''Senecio flaccidus'' likes disturbed habitats, this one preferring overgrazed rangelands, dried up stream beds and desert grasslands; at altitudes above and below . Native :America ::North-Central:

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::South-Central:

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

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::Southwestern:

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::Northern Mexico:

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, San Luis Potosí,

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::Central Mexico:

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, Hidalgo,

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(n.e.),

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Current :America ::North-Central:

, Oklahoma,

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::Northwestern:

::South-Central:

::Southwestern:

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::Northern Mexico:

, San Luis Potosí,

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::Central Mexico:

, Baja Norte,

, Hidalgo,

(n.e.),

Subspecies which are synonyms

*''Senecio flaccidus'' Less. var. ''flaccidus'' *''Senecio douglasii'' DC. var. ''longilobus'' (Benth.) L.D. Benson *''Senecio douglasii'' DC. var. ''jamesii'' (Torr. & A. Gray) Ediger ex Correll & M.C. Johnst. *''Senecio douglasii'' DC. ssp. ''longilobus'' (Benth.) W.A. Weber *''Senecio flaccidus'' Less. var. ''monoensis'' (Greene) B. L. Turner & T. M. Barkley *''Senecio flaccidus'' Less. var. ''douglasii'' (DC.) B. L. Turner & T. M. Barkley *''Senecio flaccidus'' var. ''flaccidus''

References

External links