|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange|
|TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993)||
previous taxon |
Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
For up-to-date information about California vascular plants, visit the Jepson eFlora.
Annual to tree
Leaves basal or cauline, alternate to whorled, simple to compound
Inflorescence: 1° inflorescence a head, each resembling a flower, 1many, generally arrayed in cymes, generally subtended by ± calyx-like involucre; flowers 1many per head
Flowers bisexual, unisexual, or sterile, ± small, of several types; calyx 0 or modified into pappus of bristles, scales, or awns, which is generally persistent in fruit; corolla radial or bilateral (rarely 0), lobes generally (0)45; stamens 45, anthers generally fused into cylinder around style, often appendaged at tips, bases, or both, filaments generally free, generally attached to corolla near throat; pistil 1, ovary inferior, 1-chambered, 1-seeded, style 1, branches 2, generally hair-tufted at tip, stigmas 2, generally on inside of style branches
Fruit: achene, cylindric to ovoid, generally deciduous with pappus attached
Genera in family: ± 1300 genera, 21,000 species (largest family of dicots): worldwide. Largest family in CA. Also see tribal key to CA genera: Strother 1997 Madroño 44(1):128. See glossary p. 25 for illustrations of general family characteristics.
Annual to tree-like, generally ± loosely hairy, becoming ± subglabrous; roots generally fibrous, branched
Stems generally 1few per rosette
Leaves alternate; lower generally petioled; middle generally weakly clasping; uppermost generally bract-like
Inflorescence often ± flat-topped; heads radiate or discoid, 1many; involucre cylindric to hemispheric; main phyllaries in 1 equal series (often subtended by few, much-reduced outer phyllaries)
Ray flowers 013; ligules generally yellow to orange
Disk flowers generally < 40; corolla generally ± yellow; style tips truncate to obtuse, generally hair-tufted
Fruit cylindric; ribs shallow, often stiff-hairy; pappus of thin, minutely barbed deciduous bristles ± = fruit body
Species in genus: ± 1500 species: worldwide; some cultivated, some of unusual form
Recent taxonomic note: *For revised taxonomy of Senecio, see Barkley 1999 Sida 18(3):661672.
Etymology: (Latin: old man, from white pappus)
Reference: [Barkley 1978 North America Flora II 10:50139]
Among largest genera of flowering plants.
Subshrub (may flower first year) 315+ dm, ± taprooted, arching-branched above, glabrous to woolly
Leaves thread-like, sometimes deeply divided into narrow segments, sometimes with axillary leaf clusters
Inflorescence: heads radiate, 310(20) per cluster; main phyllaries ± 13, sometimes 21, 510+ mm; outer phyllaries ± prominent
Ray flowers 8(13); ligules 1020 mm, ± yellow
Disk flowers < 40
Ecology: Dry, rocky or sandy sites
Elevation: < 2000 m.
Bioregional distribution: California Floristic Province (except North Coast, Klamath Ranges), East of Sierra Nevada, Desert
Distribution outside California: to Colorado, Texas, w&c Mexico
|YOU CAN HELP US make sure that our distributional information is correct and current. If you know that a plant occurs in a wild, reproducing state in a Jepson bioregion NOT highlighted on the map, please contact us with that information. Please realize that we cannot incorporate range extensions without access to a voucher specimen, which should (ultimately) be deposited in an herbarium. You can send the pressed, dried collection (with complete locality information indicated) to us (e-mail us for details) or refer us to an accessioned herbarium specimen. Non-occurrence of a plant in an indicated area is difficult to document, but we will especially value your input on those types of possible errors (see automatic conversion of distribution data to maps).|