Senecio clarkianus
Encyclopedia
Senecio clarkianus is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common name Clark's ragwort. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California
, where it grows in the moist meadows on the western slopes of the range. It is a perennial herb growing up to 1.2 meters tall from a caudex
and fibrous root system. The solitary erect stem is lined evenly with leaves up to about 18 centimeters long, their blades deeply lobed or dissected into narrow, pointed segments. The herbage is hairy to woolly in texture. The inflorescence
bears several flower head
s which are lined with green-tipped phyllaries
. They contain many yellow disc florets and each has usually 8 or 13 narrow yellow ray florets about a centimeter long, sometimes longer.
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
known by the common name Clark's ragwort. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in the moist meadows on the western slopes of the range. It is a perennial herb growing up to 1.2 meters tall from a caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
and fibrous root system. The solitary erect stem is lined evenly with leaves up to about 18 centimeters long, their blades deeply lobed or dissected into narrow, pointed segments. The herbage is hairy to woolly in texture. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears several flower head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
s which are lined with green-tipped phyllaries
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
. They contain many yellow disc florets and each has usually 8 or 13 narrow yellow ray florets about a centimeter long, sometimes longer.