Senecio integerrimus

           Entire-Leaved Groundsel

Early Flower Head Side

Centre Block, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
15-June-2008

Note the black-tipped involucral bracts.  Note also that the key to the genera in Budd's Flora requires "involucral bracts usually one series, not or scarcely imbricated.  However, Flora of Alberta describes the situation better when it requires involucral bracts uniseriate, equal, narrow, commonly with a few much shorter outer ones at the base.

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Integerrimus: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora (BF)  and Flora of Alberta (FOA) leading to this species. 
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NOT [plants annual, of marshy or aquatic habitats, densely villous throughout, tips of the involucral bracts not bearded or black] (FOA)

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perennial plants, usually with rootstocks; NOT [annual plants with taproots]

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plants with an abruptly shortened, button-like caudex; NOT [plants rhizomatous] (FOA)

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plants pubescent, sometimes sparsely; NOT [plants glabrous (at least by flowering) (FOA)

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leaves all or mostly subentire to dentate; NOT [leaves all or mostly coarsely lobed to pinnately divided] (BF)

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leaves denticulate to entire; NOT [leaves irregularly toothed] (FOA)

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stem leaves different from basal leaves; NOT [stem leaves and basal leaves equal in size and shape] (BF)

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lower leaves usually distinctly petiolate; NOT [lower leaves not distinctly petiolate] (FOA)

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lower leaves mostly lanceolate to ovate or suborbicular; NOT [lower leaves mostly linear to lanceolate] (FOA)

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middle and upper stem leaves much reduced in size, largest at base; NOT [middle and upper stem leaves as large as or slightly smaller than lower leaves] (BF), NOT [stem leaves not reduced in size upwards, largest leaves often about the middle] (FOA)

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inflorescence mostly terminal; NOT [inflorescence mostly axillary] (BF)

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flower heads few to many; NOT [flower heads solitary] (BF),  NOT [with a small head at base] (BF)

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axillary peduncles short; NOT [axillary peduncles long] (BF)

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involucral bracts black-tipped, sometimes only the outer; NOT [involucral bracts not black-tipped] (FOA)

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heads with rays; NOT [heads rayless or rays minute, the heads appearing rayless] (FOA)

 

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Senecio: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus.
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juice watery; NOT [juice milky] (FOA)

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leaves alternate or basal; NOT [leaves opposite] (FOA)

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involucral bracts uniseriate, equal, narrow, commonly with a few much shorter outer ones at the base; NOT [involucral bracts either imbricate in several series, or broad and somewhat leafy, or both] (FOA)

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involucral bracts not or scarcely imbricated; NOT [involucral bracts well imbricated] (BF)

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receptacle naked (FOA)

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flower heads with florets both tubular and ray (radiate) (BF)

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ligulate flowers pistillate or neuter; NOT [flowers all perfect] (FOA)

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rays yellow; NOT [rays white, to pink, purple or blue] (FOA)

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stamens united to form a tube around the pistil (BF)

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pappus single, bristles sometimes unequal but not distinctly divided into an inner and outer series of two lengths; NOT [pappus double, bristles of the outer series inconspicuous, distinctly shorter than the inner] (FOA)

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pappus wholly or partly of capillary bristles, sometimes plumose; NOT [pappus chaffy, or of scales, or of firm awns, or a crown or none] (FOA)