402 COMPOSITE. Senecio. 



of numerous slender capillary bristles. — Mostly herbs, of various habit. Leaves alternate. 

 Heads corymbose or paniculate. Flowers yellow. 



Of this difficult genus, six hundred species are described by De Candolle. 



1. Senecio vulgaris, Linn. Common Groundsel. 



Annual ; leaves pinnatifid, toothed, clasping, the lower ones tapering into petioles ; heads 

 in a loose corymb, discoid, nodding ; calyculate scales much shorter than the involucre. — 

 Linn. sp. 2. p. 867 ; Engl. hot. t. 747 ; Piirsh, fl. 2. p. 528 ; Bigel.fl. Bost. p. 307 ; Torr. 

 compend. p. 305 ; Beck, hot. p. 201 ; Hook. jl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 331 ; DC. prodr. 6. p. 341 ; 

 Torr. ^ Gr. fl. N. Am. 2. p. 437. 



Plant about a foot high, more or less branching, smooth or a little woolly. Leaves 2 — 3 

 inches long, deeply pinnatifid with oblong toothed or serrated lobes. Heads about one-third 

 of an inch long. Calyculate scales of the involucre about 10, blackish at the tip. Flowers 

 yellow. Achenia minutely pubescent. Pappus copious. 



Waste places, road-sides, etc. Long Island. Introduced from Europe. June - October. 



2. Senecio aureus, Linn. Life-root. Squaw-weed. 



Smooth, or somewhat woolly when young ; radical leaves orbicular or roundish-ovate, 

 mostly cordate, crenate-serrate, petioled ; the cauline lyrate-pinnatifid, sessile or partly 

 clasping ; corymb somewhat umbellate ; rays 8 - 12. — Linn. sp. 2. p. 870 ; Michx. jl. 2. 

 p. 120 ; Pursh,fl. 2. p. 530 ; Ell. sk. 2. p. 331 ; Bigel.fl. Bost. p. 307 ; Hook.fl. Bor-Am. 

 1. p. 333 ; Beck, hot. p. 200 ; Darlingt. fl. Cest. p. 496; DC. prodr. 6. p. 432 ; Torr. ^ 

 Gr. fl. N. Am. 2. p. 442. 



var. ohovalus : radical leaves varying from roundish-obovate to oblong-spatulate. Torr. ^ 

 Gr. I. c. S. obovatus, Muhl. in Willd. sp. 3. p. 1999 ; Pursh, I. c. ; Ell. I. c. ; Beck, I. c; 

 Darlijigt. I. c. ; DC. I. c. 



var. BalsamitcB : radical leaves oval, oblong, or spatulate and lanceolate, crenate or toothed, 

 sometimes lyrate-incised. Torr. <^ Gr. I. c. S. Balsamitaj, MuJil. in Willd. sp. I. c; Pursh. 

 I. c; Beck, I. c. ; Darlingt. I. c. ; DC. I. c. 



Perennial. Stem 1-2 feet high, branched above, often clothed with a loose cotton-like 

 lomentum, especially when young, and about the insertion of the leaves. Radical leaves 

 1-3 inches long and 1 - 2J inches wide, entire, with the petioles 2-6 inches in length ; 

 in the two varieties, smaller and much narrower. Heads nearly half an inch long, numerous, 

 on long slender peduncles. Involucre ovate-cylindrical, scarcely calyculate, woolly at the 

 base : scales lanceolate, often purplish. Rays and disk bright yellow. Achenia smooth, or 

 minutely hairy on the angles. 



Moist meadows, banks of rivulets, etc. ; the variety obovatus in rather dry places ; and var. 

 Balsamita, in fields and meadows. April - June. A most variable species, but the forms 

 here described, although very dissimilar in their extreme states, most certainly pass into each 

 other. 



