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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Senecio bigelovii (Nodding ragwort)
Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Senecio bigelovii

Senecio bigelovii A. Gray

Nodding Ragwort, Nodding Groundsel

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: SEBI2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

An erect, leafy stem with nodding, rayless, yellow flower heads on usually bent stalks and arranged in a narrow branched cluster.

Senecio, as traditionally constructed, was one of the largest genera of plants, with 2,000-3,000 species worldwide. The genus is unwieldy, and several of its definable subunits have been raised to the level of genus. Nearly 100 species occur in western North America. Olympic Mountains Groundsel (S. neowebsteri), found in the Olympic Mountains in western Washington, and Showy Alpine Senecio (S. amplectens), found in the Rocky Mountains, both also have nodding flower heads, but those species have rays.

 

From the Image Gallery

3 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Size Notes: Up to about 4 feet tall.
Fruit: Fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae). Though technically incorrect, the fruit is often referred to as an achene.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AZ , CO , NM , UT , WY
Native Distribution: Western Colorado south to Arizona and New Mexico.
Native Habitat: Rich moist soil on grassy mountain hillsides and forests.

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Senecio bigelovii in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Senecio bigelovii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Senecio bigelovii

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-01-13
Research By: TWC Staff

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