Kingdom Plantae Family Asteraceae Genus Senecio Rank Species | Order Asterales Tribe Senecioneae Scientific name Senecio mohavensis | |
 | ||
Similar Senecio californicus, Senecio scorzonella, Senecio hydrophilus, Senecio glabratus, Senecio fremontii | ||
Senecio mohavensis, known by the common name Mojave ragwort, is a species of flowering plant in the aster family.
Contents
Distribution
The annual herb is native to the Mojave Desert in California, northwestern Arizona, and southwestern Nevada (southwestern United States); and to the Sonoran Desert in California and Arizona, and Baja California and Sonora (northwestern Mexico).
It grows in sandy and rocky habitat, often in Creosote bush scrub.
Description
Senecio mohavensis produces a single branching erect stem up to 30 or 40 centimeters in maximum height from a twisted taproot. It is mostly hairless and green to purple in color.
The leaves have lobed or toothed blades a few centimeters long, the lower on short petioles and those higher on the plant with wide bases that clasp the stem.
The inflorescence is a spreading array of several flower heads filled with yellow disc florets. Some heads have tiny ray florets that may be tucked out of view within the phyllaries. The bloom period is March to May.