Senecio
(the old Latin name used by Pliny, and derived from senex, an old man; alluding to the usually white, hair-like pappus). Groundsel; Ragweed. Including Adenotrichia, Brachyrhynchos, Cacalia, Cineraria (in part), Farfugium, Gynoxys (in part), Jacobaea, Kleinia (of Haworth), Ligularia, Pericallis, Senecillis, and Syneilesis (Cacalia, Cineraria, and Ligularia, are, however, for garden purposes, kept distinct in this work). ORD. Compositae. A vast genus--probably the most extensive in the vegetable kingdom--comprising, according to Bentham and Hooker, nearly 900 species of stove, greenhouse, or hardy, annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, sub-shrubs, or shrubs, rarely arborescent, dispersed over the whole globe, but most numerous in temperate or mountainous regions. Flower-heads radiatheterogamous or discoid-homogamous, solitary or corymbose, very rarely disposed in pyramidal panicles, subracemose or sessile at the sides of the branches; involucral bracts in one series, with sometimes a few smaller ones at the base, at lenght often reflexed; receptacle flat or slightly, convex; ray florets, when present, variously coloured, one-seriate, ligulate; disk yellow, whitish, or rarely purplish or violet; achenes glabrous or slightly villous, of variable form and size. Leaves alternate or radical, entire, toothed, lobed, or variously (often pinnately) dissected. The genus is represented in Britain by nine species (two of which, however, are not indigenous, but have become naturalised), including the Ragweed or Ragwort (S. Jacoboea) and Groundsel (S. vulgaris). South Africa is richest in species in the Old World, and the Andean region in the New. A representative selection of the plants best known to horticulturists is given below. Senecios are easy to grow; they succeed in almost any loamy soil. The annuals may readily be increased by seeds, which, in many instances, ripen in abundance. Other representatives of the genus may be propagated by seeds, by divisions, or by cuttings both of the shoots and roots. See also Cacalia, Cineraria, and Ligularia. S. aconitifolius (Aconite-leaved). fl.-heads pinkish-red, small, discoid, disposed in loose corymbs. l. on long petioles, palmately parted; lobes several, with a few strong teeth. Stem tall, striated. Amur, North China, 1877. A hardy perennial, of little beauty. SYN. Syneilesis aconitifolia (R. G. 887).
S. Adenotrichia (Adenotrichia). fl.-heads yellow; involucre campanulate, biseriate, the outer scales linear-subulate; ray florets twelve to fifteen. May. l. auriculate-amplexicaul, oblong, pinnatifid, unequally toothed. Braches nearly naked at apex, dichotomously sub-corymbose. h. 2ft. Chili, 1826. Greenhouse, glandular-pilose sub-shrub. (B. R. 1190, under name of Adenotrichia amplexicaulis.)
S. ampullaceus (bottle-shaped). fl.-heads yellow, about 1in. in diameter, in a corymbose panicle; involucre at length bottleshaped; ray florets few, spreading. July. l. oblong, obtuse, fleshy, deeply toothed, sub-cordate at base, semi-amplexicaul. Stems striated, branched above. h. 2ft. Texas, 1834. An erect, highly glabrous, half-hardy annual. (B. M. 3487.)
S. Anteuphorbium (so named "because of its being a reputed antidote against the acrid poison of the Cape Euphorbium," Hooker). fl.-heads yellow, with a rose tinge, 1in. long, cylindric erect, solitary, axillary; involucral bracts numerous; florets all tubular, scarcely exceeding the involucre; peduncles very stout, with a few scattered bracts. January. l. about 1in. long, erect, oblong or linear-oblong, acute or obtuse, fleshy, entire, on very short petioles. Stem thick, fleshy, cylindric; branches 1/2in. to 1in. in diameter, constricted at base. h. 3ft. to 4ft. South Africa, &c., 1596. Greenhouse, succulent shrub. (B. M. 6099.)
S. argenteus (silvery).* fl.-heads yellowish, solitary; involucre campanulate, scarcely bracteolate, with about twenty scales; ray florets about twelve, linear-oblong. Summer. l. linear, entire, obtuse; upper ones few, acute. Branches adpressedly silvery-tomentose. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Chili. Greenhouse under-shrub.
S. chordifolia (cord-leaved).* fl.-heads yellow, very few, 2/3in. long. narrow: involucral leaflets about sixteen, with a few bristle-shaped bracteoles at base; pappus white; cymes very slender, 6in. to 10in. long, sparingly forked, the branches erect. July. l. 7in. to 10in. long, 1/4in. in diameter, acute, cylindric, but flattened above towards the base. Stem slightly branched. h. 1ft. South Africa, 1862. A greenhouse, glabrous, fleshy sub-shrub. (B. M. 6216.)
S. concolor (one-coloured). fl.-heads 1 1/4in. in diameter; ray florets mauve-purple; disk white; anthers purple; corymbs three to five-headed. Summer. i. glabrous; radical ones narrow-oblanceolate, toothed; cauline ones amplexicaul, broadly linear. Stem 1ft. to 2ft. high, loosely branched above. South Africa, 1882. A pretty, half-hardy perennial. (B. M. 6713)
S. diversifolius pinnatifidus (variable-leaved, pinnatifid). fl.-heads purple, discoid; peduncles elongated, simple or branched, scaly. June. l. lanceolate-oblong, acute or acuminate, deeply pinnatifid; lobes in many pairs, toothed or incised, the upper-most two or three pairs confluent in a pinnatifid, terminal lobe. Stem erect, leafy below. h. 2ft. South Africa. Half-hardy perennial. SYN. Brachyrhynchos albicaulis.
S. Doria (Doria).* fl.-heads yellow; accessory involucral scales linear-subulate; ray flores five or six; corymbs compound, loosely sub-paniculate. August. l. toothed, rather thick, sub-glaucescent; radical ones petiolate, oval-oblong; cauline ones slightly amplexicaul, sub-decurrent, oblong-lanceolate. Stems erect, striated, glabrous. h. 4ft. South Europe, 1570. Hardy perennial. (J. F. A. 185.)
S. Doronicum (Leopard's Bane).* fl.-heads yellow, 2in. in diameter, solitary or few; involucre bracteate, campanulate, the scales lanceolate, acuminate; ray flores twelve to twenty-five, flat; achenes glabrous, striated. Summer. l. rather thick, toothed; radical ones lanceolate, elliptic, or ovate-cordate, on short or long petioles, sub-elliptic or obtuse. h. 1ft. South Europe, 1705. Hardy perennial. (J. F. A. v. 45.) S. D. hosmariensis (Beni-Hosmar). fl.-heads rich yellow, on a scape 3in. to 5in. high. l., radical ones 1in. to 1 1/2in. long, ovate elliptic-ovate, or ovate-cordate, acute or obtuse, irregularly toothed, dark green, rugose, and glabrous above, greenish-white beneath; cauline ones few, narrow. Beni-Hosmar, Morocco, 1874. A pretty rockwork plant. (B. M. 6101.)
S. elaeagnifolius (Elaeagnus-leaved). fl.-heads yellow, 1/3in. long, campanulate, rayless; panicle terminal, stout, branched, buffwoolly. l. 1/2 in. to 1in. long, on stout petioles, obovate or lanceolate-oblong, obtuse, entire; branches buff-tomentose. h. 6ft. to 8ft. New Zealand. Greenhouse shrub.
S. elegans (elegant).* fl.-heads radiate, showy, on long, scaly pedicels; involucre calycled with many ciliated, black-tipped bracteoles; ray florets purple; disk yellow. l. 1 1/2in. to 3in. long, ear clasping at base, petioled, extremely varied in shape and degree of incision. Stems erect, 1ft. to 2ft. high, or diffuse South Africa. A viscous-pubescent, half-hardy annual or biennial. A variety with double flowers is the well-known "American Groundsel" of our gardens.
S.e. erectus (erect). fl.-heads, involucral scales glabrous. l. frequently pinnate or bipinnatipartite. Stem erect, slender. (B. M. 238, under name of S. elegans.)
S. fulgens (brilliant). fl.-heads bright orange-vermilion, erect or inclined, 1 1/2in. long; involucre terete, the leaflets eight to ten, acute; florets slender, tubular, with lienar-oblong lobes; peduncles 4in. to 8in. long, erect, loosely clothed with succulent bracts. May. l. succulent, 4in. to 6in. long, on short, broad petioles, obovate-oblong, sub-acute, remotely serrated, smooth. Stems branched, terete. h. 2ft. to 3ft. Natal, 1866. A greenhouse, succulent sub-shrub, covered with pale green, glaucous bloom. (B. M. 5590, under name of Kleinia fulgens.)
S. Ghiesbreghtii (Ghiesbreght's). A synonym of S. grandifolius. S. glastifolius (wood-leaved). fl.-heads purple, radiate; involucre amply calycled with subulate bracteoles; panicle many-headed, loosely corymbose. June. l. oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 1in. to 3in. long, acute, coarsely and unequally toothed, halfamplexicaul, the lower ones more or less decurrent. Stems erect, branching. h. 4ft. South Africa, 1826. Greenhouse subshrub. (B. R. 1342, under name of S. lilacinus.)
S. grandiflorus (large-flowered). fl.-heads in a loosely corymbose panicle; involucre amply calycled with many subulate, spreading bracteoles; ray florets purple; disk yellow. August. l., cauline ones sessile, half-amplexicaul, 3in. to 6in. long, pinnatipartite; lobes several on each side, linear, acuminate. Stems 4ft. to 5ft. high, naked at top. South Africa, 1774. Greenhouse perennial. (B. R. 901, under name of S. venustus.)
S. grandifolius (large-leaved). fl.-heads yellow, in a terminal corymb. l. deep green, about 1ft. long, coarsely toothed or lobed. Stems deep purple, curiously spotted or warted. h. 3ft. to 4ft. Mexico. A half-hardy shrub, useful for massing or isolating on the lawn as a foliage plant. SYN. S. Ghiesbreghtii. (R. G. 296.)
S. Haworthii (Haworth's). fl.-heads orange-yellow, solitary, erect, 1 1/4in. long, cylindric, discoid; involucral scales appressed, shorter than the florets; peduncle terminal, 2in. long. July. l. 1in. to 2in. long, cylindric or ellipsoid, acute, narrowed into short petioles. Stem erect; branches cylindric. South Africa, 1873. A small, succulent, greenhouse under-shrub, clothed with soft, snow-white wool. (B. M. 6063.)
S. incanus (hoary). fl-heads yellow, disposed in a simple, somewhat crowded corymb; involucre about half as long as the florets; calyces few. August. l. bright silvery; lower ones obovate, with incised lobes, the upper ones overlapping; upper leaves oblong, with separate, linear leaflets. Stems tufted. h. 3in. to 6in. Alps. A pretty and compact, hardy perennial, altogether white with adpressed hairs.
S. Kaempferi aureo-maculata (Kaempfer's gold-spotted). A synonym of Ligularia Kaempferi aureo-maculata.
S. laciniatus (torn). "l. slender, pale green, finely cut into long, narrow lobes, drooping gracefully from the upper part of the slender, half-woody stems. This half-hardy sub-shrub is one of the most elegant of all foliage plants. It should not be allowed to flower" ("Thompson's Gardeners' Assistant").
S. Lagopus (hare's foot). fl.-heads bright yellow, radiate, 1/2in. to 1in. in diameter, on slender pedicels; pappus hairs white; scape 2in. to 6in. high, branched above, two to eight-headed. Summer. l. 1in. to 4in. long, on short, stout, villous petioles, broadly cordate-oblong, rounded at the tip, white-woolly beneath, wrinkled and covered with bristles above. Crown of the root loaded with matted hairs. New Zealand, 1882. Hardy, perennial, rockwork plant.
S. macroglossus (large-tongued).* Cape Ivy. fl.-heads on long, axillary peduncles; ray florets eight to twelve, pale yellow, forming a limb about 3in. across, multiseriate. Summer. l. petiolate, hastate, with acuminate basal lobes, or cordate, acute or acuminate, entire, or with one or two broad teeth or lobules on each side. Stems smooth and glossy. South Africa, 1875. A greenhouse, evergreen, soft-wooded climber, with Ivy-like leaves; it is well suited for training to a rafter. (B. M. 6149; F. d. S. 2188; G. C. n. s., fii. p. 749.)
S. mikanioides (Mikania-like).* German Ivy. fl.-heads yellow, discoid; involucre sparingly calycled, of eight or nine narrow scales; corymb generally much-branched. December. l. somewhat fleshy, petiolate sharply five to seven-angled or lobed, hastate or cordate at base, the lobes deltoid or obsolete, with broad, shallow interspaces; petioles 1in. to 1 1/2in. long. h. several feet. South Africa, 1855. A much-branched, climbing, green-house sub-shrub, forming an admirable window creeper. SYN. Mikania senecioides (of gardens).
S. multibracteatus (many-bracted). fl.-heads sub-corymbose, on very long, copiously scaly pedicels; involucre of many dark-tipped, glabrous scales, amply calycled with many imbricating bracts; ray florets purple; disk yellow. Summer. l. 2in. to 2 1/2in. long; cauline ones sessile, not auricled, lanceolate, coarsely fewtoothed, tapering at base; rameal ones stem-clasping, coarsely toothed at base. Stems 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. high, branched above. South Africa, 1872. A sparsely pubescent, greenhouse annual. (Ref. B. 251.)
S. praecox (early). fl.-heads yellow, appearing before the leaves, on elongated pedicels; involucre cylindrical, eight to ten-leafleted, almost ebracteate; ray florets five, spreading; corymbs branched, seven or eight-headed. June. l. petiolate, cordate, acute, five to seven-angled or lobed, membranous. Stem fleshy-shrubby, branched, terete. h. 2ft. Mexico. A glabrous, greenhouse subshrub. (B. M. 4803.)
S. pteroneura (wing-nerved). fl.-heads pale straw-colour, solitary, or two or three at the tips of the branches, erect, cylindric, scarcely 3/4in. long; involucral scales brownish-red about the middle; florets narrow, slender; peduncles very stout, longer than the involucre. November. l. only developed on very young shoots, elliptic or lanceolate, 1/4in. to 3/4in. long. Stems 4ft. to 8ft. high, loose, nearly erect; branches 3/4in. in diameter, nearly straight, obtuse. Morocco, 1872. A highly glabrous, glaucous, fleshy-shrubby, greenhouse plant. (B. M. 5945.)
S. pulcher (pretty).* fl.-heads large, corymbose; involucre very broadly campanulate, calycled with pubescent-woolly, obtuse leaflets; ray florets nearly twenty, purple, longer than the yellow disk. Summer and autumn. l. oblong-lanceolate, crenate-toothed; radical ones petiolate; cauline ones sessile; upper ones half-amplexicaul, and slightly decurrent. Stem simple or branched. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Uruguay, 1872. A pretty, cobwebby-tomentose, hardy perennial. (B. M. 5959; R. H. 1877, p. 94.) S. pyramidatus (pyramidal).* fl.-heads yellow, many, 3/4in. in diameter, exclusive of the ten or twelve broad, spreading ray florets, disposed in a long, thyrsoid raceme, 6in. to 12in. long; involucre sub-calyculate, campanulate, woolly, of ten to twelve very broad scales. Summer. l. sessile, sub-terete, fleshy, acute, 3in. long, two to three lines wide, glabrous or cobwebby. Stem shrubby, fleshy, erect, simple, closely leafy below, sparsely so above, tomentose. h. about 2ft. South Africa, 1863. A very fine, greenhouse species. (B. M. 5396.)
S. scaposus caulescens (scaped, caulescent). fl.-heads yellow; involucre cobwebby, scarcely calycled; ray florets about twelve; peduncles scape-like, 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. long, naked or sparsely scaly, usually bearing three to five long-pedicelled heads. August. l. 2in. to 3in. long, crowded at the apex of the stem or branches, fleshy, broadly linear, very obtuse, terete, the young ones cobwebby, the older ones glabrous. Stem fleshy-shrubby, 1ft. high, branched. South Africa, 1843. Greenhouse. (B. M. 4011, under name of S. calamifolius.)
S. Skinneri (Skinner's). fl.-heads yellowish, fragrant, in terminal, corymbose racemes; ray florets few; bracteoles four to six, much spreading, subulate. June. l. alternate, rather long-petiolate, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acute, slightly fleshy, entire, indistinctly veined. h. 3ft. Guatemala, 1840. A pretty, highly glabrous, greenhouse, perennial climber, with tuberous roots. (B. M. 4511; L. & P. F. G. i. p. 77, f. 54; and L. J. F. 18, under name of Gynoxys fragrans.)
S. speciosus (showy).* fl.-heads bright purple, 1 1/2in. in diameter, long-peduncled, in spreading corymbs; involucre densely glandular-hairy; ray florets six to twenty, narrow-linear; scape 1ft. or less high, with alternate, rather distant, erect leaves. July. l. 4in. to 7in. long, obovate, lanceolate, or narrowly linear-spathulate, crenately toothed or sinuately lobed, rarely sub-pinnatifid, sub-acute or obtuse, glandular-hairy. South Africa, 1789. Greenhouse perennial. (B. M. 6488; B. R. 41; L. B. C. 1113; G. C. n. s., xiv. p. 149; R. G. 1881, p. 310; A. B. R. 291, under name of S. pseudo-china.) S. stenocephala comosa (narrow-headed, tufted). fl.-heads yellow, with three ray florets, disposed in a dense, narrow-oblong spike. Summer. l., radical ones on long petioles, broadly ovate-sagittate, acuminate. Stem 2ft. high. Japan, 1881. A striking and ornamental, hardy perennial. (G. C. n. s., xvi. p. 301.) The flower-heads in the typical form possess but one ray floret each.
S. sub-scandens (somewhat climbing). fl.-heads 1/2in. long, cylindric; involucral bracts five, red-tipped; florets about ten, dark ochreous-yellow, exceeding the involucre; pappus snow-white; cymes axillary and terminal, long-peduncled, much-branched. January. l. 5in. to 9in. long, pink-veined, pinnatiparted; lateral lobes two to six pairs, ovate or orbicular, distant, adnate, coarsely sinuate-toothed; terminal one deltoid, deeply cordate at base. Stems and branches cylindric, succulent. South Africa, 1873. A tall, herbaceous climber. (B. M. 6363.)
S. uniflorus (one-flowered). fl.-heads yellow, few on long stalks, or solitary; involucre turbinate, half as long as the disk; ray florets expanding. July. l., lower ones divided, stalked, oblong; upper ones sessile, linear, entire. h. 3in. Alps of Europe, 1785. A pretty, cano-tomentose, hardy perennial, allied to S. incanus. (A. F. P. 17.)