Senecio
butterweed, groundsel, ragwort
12 species
5 subspecies and varieties
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Senecio elmeriElmer's ragwort
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in central and northern Washington; British Columbia to central Washington.
Habitat: Talus slopes and other rocky places in alpine areas.
Origin: Native
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Senecio fremontiidwarf mountain butterweed
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and in the Olympic Mountains in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah.
Habitat: Open, rocky slopes at high elevations in the mountains
Origin: Native
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. fremontii – dwarf mountain groundsel
Senecio hydrophiloidessweet marsh butterweed, stout meadow groundsel
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah.
Habitat: Wet meadows in the mountains and foothills, but not in alkali.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Senecio hydrophilusalkali marsh butterweed, water groundsel, alkali marsh ragwort
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains.
Habitat: Swampy places in the valleys and foothills; tolerant of alkali.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June- September
Growth Duration: Biennial, Perennial
Senecio integerrimusone-stemmed butterweed, western groundsel
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington, where widely distributed; British Columbia to California, east to the Great Plains and Great Lakes region.
Habitat: Meadows and seasonally moist open areas from low elevations to the subalpine.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. exaltatus – one-stemmed butterweed, lambs-tongue groundsel, tall western groundsel
var. ochroleucus – white western groundsel
Senecio lugensblack-tipped groundsel
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Washington, east to the northern Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Wet meadows, grassy alpine slopes, and rich northern woods.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Senecio neowebsteriOlympic Mountain ragwort
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest, where endemic to the Olympic Mountains of Washington.
Habitat: Talus slopes and rocky places.
Origin: Native
Flowers: Aug.-Sept.
Growth Duration: Perennial
Senecio serratall butterweed, butterweed groundsel
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.
Habitat: Meadows and open, moist hillsides, foothills to mid-elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. serra – tall butterweed, butterweed groundsel
Senecio sylvaticuswood groundsel, woodland groundsel, woodland ragwort
Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, forest edge, wastelots, and other disturbed areas at low elevation.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: May-September
Growth Duration: Annual
Senecio triangularisarrowleaf groundsel, arrowleaf ragwort
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Moist places and streambanks from the lowlands to the subalpine.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. triangularis – arrowleaf groundsel, arrowleaf ragwort
Senecio viscosussticky ragwort
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Washington, east across Canada to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed areas at low elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: June-September
Growth Duration: Annual
Senecio vulgariscommon groundsel, old man in the spring
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, waste ground, lawns, and other disturbed, open sites.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: February-September
Growth Duration: Annual