Senecio pattersonensis

Senecio pattersonensis is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names Mono ragwort.[1][2] and Mount Patterson senecio.[3][4]

Senecio pattersonensis
Senecio pattersonensis specimen

Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Senecio
Species:
S. pattersonensis
Binomial name
Senecio pattersonensis
Hoover

Distribution

It is endemic to eastern California in Mono County, in a small area of the Eastern High Sierra Nevada peaks at elevations of 3,000–3,700 metres (9,800–12,100 ft).[1][5] It grows in rocky high mountain habitat in an alpine climate, such as talus and fellfields.[1]

It is named for Mount Patterson, the highest peak in the rugged Sweetwater Mountains subrange of the Sierra Nevada, in Mono County.[6]

Description

Senecio pattersonensis is a small perennial herb producing one to three stems from a rhizome, the plant generally not exceeding ten centimeters in height.

The herbage is hairless and green to red in color. The leaves are thick and often fleshy, measuring 2 to 4 centimeters long. They are narrow and linear or lance-shaped, sometimes with wavy edges or divisions into lobes.

The inflorescence bears one to four flower heads containing yellow disc florets and usually 8 ray florets measuring one half to one centimeter in length. It blooms from July to August.

References
  1. CalFlora Database: Senecio pattersonensis . accessed 3.23.2017.
  2. "Senecio pattersonensis". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  3. California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
  4. Flora of North America: Senecio pattersonensis
  5. The Nature Conservancy
  6. CalFlora Botanical Names
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