Senecio canus

   
Silvery Groundsel

Center Block, Cypress Hills
10-June-2001

Note: The key to the species in Budd's Flora requires the leaves possess the following somewhat contradictory attributes.  The first and third points appear to be opposed. 

leaves all or mostly coarsely lobed to pinnately divided; NOT subentire to dentate

basal leaves, if present, dentate or shallowly lobed; NOT deeply pinnately lobed, NOT divided

basal leaves entire; NOT mostly toothed, NOT pinnatifid

 

Note also: The key to the species in Budd's Flora requires:

flower heads few to many; NOT solitary

Yet: The key in Flora of Alberta states:

heads 1-several

 

Canus:  Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this species.  

perennial plants, usually with rootstocks; NOT annual plants with taproots, NOT biennials

plants more or less  pubescent at flowering time; NOT always glabrous, NOT floccose-tomentose when young and becoming glabrous later (except occasionally for some tomentum in the leaf axils or elsewhere)

pubescence very fine, tomentose or floccose-tomentose; NOT loosely villose, NOT crisp, NOT arachnoid

basal leaves white woolly (Budd's Flora)

leaf surface sometimes glabrous (Flora of Alberta)

basal or lower cauline leaves well developed, often tufted

cauline leaves progressively reduced upwards; NOT only gradually reduced upwards

heads small; NOT large

 

Senecio: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus. 

leaves alternate; NOT opposite

involucral bracts uniseriate, equal, narrow, commonly with a few very much shorter outer ones at the base; NOT imbricate in two or more series, NOT broad, NOT somewhat leafy

involucral bracts either NOT imbricated or SCARCELY imbricated

flower head with florets both tubular and ray

ray florets yellow; NOT blue, NOT purple, NOT white

stamens united to form a tube around the pistil

pappus composed of hairs; NOT composed of scales or bristles (Budd's Flora)

pappus simple, the bristles sometimes unequal, but NOT distinctly divided into two lengths; pappus NOT double, NO outer series that is inconspicuous and very much shorter than the inner (Flora of Alberta)