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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Asteraceae
Senecio magnificus

Citation: F. Muell., Linnaea 25:418 (1853).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Tall yellow-top, showy groundsel, camel weed.

Description:
Erect glabrous glaucous shrub, 70-150 cm tall; leaves somewhat crowded and overlapping, oblanceolate to spathulate, 5-9 x 1.5-2.5 cm, serrulate distally, the upper ones sometimes entire and obtuse, shortly decurrent or stem-clasping.

Inflorescence corymbose, of 10-50 capitula, repeatedly branching, branches stiffly erect; peduncles 2-3 rarely 4 cm long, apically dilated and hollow; involucre narrowly campanulate., 9-11 x 6-7 mm; bracts 12-18; calyculus often absent, sometimes of 1 or 2 bracteoles; ray florets 4-8; ligules 7-15 x 4-5 mm, 4-8-nerved, rarely the nerves redoubled to 8-12 or 14; disk florets 30-45.

Achene subcylindric, 5-6 x c. 1.5 mm with hairs short, spreading, most dense between the indistinct ridges; ray-achenes yellow-green; diskachenes red-brown; pappus white to tawny, of many persistent barbellate bristles with acute barbs 4 times longer than broad, apices subplumose.

Published illustration: Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 675.

Distribution:  Most frequent near stream beds, often in deep-red sand, occasional on open plains, sometimes locally abundant along the roads and ditches, occasionally collected from swamps in the south.

S.Aust.: NW, LE, GT, FR, EA, EP, MU.   W.Aust.; N.T.; Qld; N.S.W.; Vic.

Conservation status: native

Flowering time: mainly Aug. — Nov.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: There is some overlap of characters between this species and the next and probably related species. The possibility of introgression in areas of likely contact needs further investigation.

Author: Not yet available


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