Silver Ragwort
Scientific name: Senecio cineraria DC.
Diagnostic features
Densely silvery-pubescent spreading perennial to 1m, with stems woody at least below.
Leaves deeply pinnately lobed, all but upper ones petiolate.
Ligules 10-13, 3-6mm, yellow.
Chromosome number: (2n=40).
Habitat
Introduced-naturalized; on cliffs and rough ground mostly near sea.
Distribution
South & Southwest England, Wales, Channel Islands, Co Dublin.
Origin
Mediterranean.
This species is keyed out on Page 1046 in the Text Key.
Note
Not to be confused with the pot-plant Cineraria (Pericallis hybrida).
Hybrids
- Senecio x albescens Burb. & Colgan (= Senecio cineraria x Senecio jacobaea) occurs ± throughout the range of naturalized Senecio cineraria in British Isles and (from cultivated Senecio cineraria) scattered North to Dunbarton; it is intermediate in pubescence, leaf-shape and habit but has pubescent disc-achenes as in Senecio jacobaea. It is fertile and backcrosses, forming a range of intermediates.
- Senecio x thuretii Briq. & Cavill. (= Senecio cineraria x Senecio erucifolius) (Synonym: Senecio x patersonianus R.M. Burton) was found in East Kent in 1978; it differs from Senecio x albescens in having supplementary phyllaries c.1/3 (not up to 1/4) as long as the main ones and sometimes (?always) having short stolons. |
