Senecio triangularis

Senecio triangularis
Senecio triangularis in Mount Rainier National Park
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Senecio
Species:	S. triangularis
Binomial name
Senecio triangularis Hooker
Synonyms
Senecio gibbonsii Greene Senecio saliens Rydberg Source: IPNI,[1] FNA.[2]

Senecio triangularis, known as arrowleaf ragwort,^[3] arrowleaf groundsel and arrowleaf butterweed, is a species of the genus Senecio and family Asteraceae.

Description

The green involucral bracts have black tips with hairy tufts.^[4]

It is similar in form to Senecio serra, both being four feet tall, have narrow and serrated leaves, and are topped with many small, yellow sunflowers. but S. triangularis is more common than S. serra.^[5] S. triangularis has single erect stems, reaching up to 10–120 cm (4–47 in) tall.^[6] The stems have evenly distributed leaves.^[2] The leaves are triangular, with tapered ends,^[2][5] hence the name.

As some plants are diploid, meaning having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings. It has been counted as 2n = 40, 80.^[2]

It is native to temperate regions of America^[7] and is reportedly poisonous to animals.^[8]

Taxonomy

It has the common names of arrowleaf ragwort, arrowleaf groundsel,^[6] and arrowleaf butterweed.

In the early 1830s, Scottish botanist Thomas Drummond collected this plant, probably on his second trip to the United States. The plant was named by William Hooker, Drummond's mentor, and first published and described by Hooker in 'Flora Boreali-Americana' (Fl. Bor.-Amer.) Vol.1 on page 332 in 1834.^[2][5]

Distribution

Native

Nearctic:

Subarctic America: Northwest Territory, Yukon Territory, Alaska

Western Canada: Alberta, British Columbia

Northwestern United States: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming

Southwestern United States: Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico

Source: GRIN,^[7]

Habitat

It grows in open woodlands, (mainly coniferous forests) and on rocky stream sides.^[2][5] They can grow at altitudes of between 100 and 3,500 m (330 and 11,480 ft).^[2]

References

1. "Senecio viscosissimus". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. 2008-05-27.
2. Flora of North America. "45. Senecio triangularis Hooker". Retrieved 2008-05-27.
3. NRCS. "Senecio triangularis". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 10 November 2015.
4. Pojar, Jim; Andy MacKinnon (1994). Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Lone Pine Publishing. p. 298. ISBN 1-55105-042-0.
5. "YELLOW FLOWERS". swcoloradowildflowers.com. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
6. "Arrow-leaf Groundsel - Senecio triangularis". fieldguide.mt.gov. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
7. "Senecio triangularis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
8. Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 44.

External links

Media related to Senecio triangularis at Wikimedia Commons