Senecio blochmaniae
Encyclopedia
Senecio blochmaniae is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common name dune ragwort. It is endemic to the Central Coast of California
, where it is known only from the direct coastline of San Luis Obispo
and Santa Barbara Counties
. It grows in sand dunes
and sandy areas on coastal floodplain
s. It is a subshrub
producing several arching stems often well exceeding a meter tall from a thick taproot
. The stems are covered in many leaves, which are linear in shape, thick, and measure up to 12 centimeters long. The lower leaves become dry and curl up. The flower head
s are lined by about 13 green-tipped phyllaries
. They contain many yellow disc florets and each has usually 8 narrow yellow ray florets about a centimeter long.
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 name dune ragwort. It is endemic to the Central Coast of California
Central Coast of California
The Central Coast is an area of California, United States, roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay and Point Conception. It extends through Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Barbara County...
, where it is known only from the direct coastline of San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
and Santa Barbara Counties
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
. It grows in sand dunes
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
and sandy areas on coastal floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s. It is a subshrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
producing several arching stems often well exceeding a meter tall from a thick 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 stems are covered in many leaves, which are linear in shape, thick, and measure up to 12 centimeters long. The lower leaves become dry and curl up. 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....
s are lined by about 13 green-tipped 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...
. They contain many yellow disc florets and each has usually 8 narrow yellow ray florets about a centimeter long.