Senecio aphanactis
Encyclopedia
Senecio aphanactis is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common names chaparral ragwort, rayless ragwort, and California groundsel. It is native to California
as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area
and south into Baja California
. It occurs in dry coastal areas, particularly alkali flats
. It is an annual herb generally growing 10 to 20 centimeters high from a small taproot
. The plant is mostly hairless, but the upper parts, such as the inflorescence
, may have woolly hairs. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped, usually with lobed edges, and measure 2 to 4 centimeters long. They sometimes clasp the stem at the bases. The flower head
is urn-shaped
and covered in phyllaries
. The head opens slightly at the top, revealing many yellow disc florets and sometimes one or more tiny yellow ray florets, although these may be absent. The fruit is a long, thin achene
coated in ashy gray hairs and tipped with a pappus
of long, white bristles.
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 names chaparral ragwort, rayless ragwort, and California groundsel. It is native to 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...
as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and south into Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. It occurs in dry coastal areas, particularly alkali flats
Dry lake
Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...
. It is an annual herb generally growing 10 to 20 centimeters high from a small taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
. The plant is mostly hairless, but the upper parts, such as 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...
, may have woolly hairs. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped, usually with lobed edges, and measure 2 to 4 centimeters long. They sometimes clasp the stem at the bases. The flower head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
is urn-shaped
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
and covered in 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...
. The head opens slightly at the top, revealing many yellow disc florets and sometimes one or more tiny yellow ray florets, although these may be absent. The fruit is a long, thin achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
coated in ashy gray hairs and tipped with a pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
of long, white bristles.