Senecio mohavensis

Senecio mohavensis, known by the common name Mojave ragwort, is a species of flowering plant in the aster family.[1][2]

Senecio mohavensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Senecio
Species:
S. mohavensis
Binomial name
Senecio mohavensis

Distribution

The annual herb is native to the Mojave Desert in California, northwestern Arizona, and southwestern Nevada (southwestern United States); and to the Sonoran Desert in California and Arizona, and Baja California and Sonora (northwestern Mexico).[3]

It grows in sandy and rocky habitats, often in Creosote bush scrub.

Description

Senecio mohavensis produces a single branching erect stem up to 30 or 40 centimeters in maximum height from a twisted taproot. It is mostly hairless and green to purple in color.

The leaves have lobed or toothed blades a few centimeters long, the lower on short petioles and those higher on the plant with wide bases that clasp the stem.

The inflorescence is a spreading array of several flower heads filled with yellow disc florets, typically numbering between 15 and 30.[4] Some heads have tiny ray florets that may be tucked out of view within the phyllaries. The phyllaries are typically green, hairless, mostly fused, and measure about a third of an inch.[4] The bloom period is March to May, and the plant's toxicity is Minor Dermatitis. [5]

References

  1. "Senecio mohavensis". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  2. Flora of North America: Senecio mohavensis
  3. SEINet, Arizona−New Mexico Chapter: Senecio mohavensis (Mojave ragwort)
  4. Southwest, The American. "Mojave Ragwort, Senecio Mohavensis". www.americansouthwest.net. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  5. "Calflora: Senecio mohavensis". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
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