Senecio doryphorus Mattf.

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Habit

Perennial herb, 30–90 cm high, subscapigerous; stem solitary, erect, slender, glabrous.

Leaves

Basal leaves sessile, oblanceolate to linear, 9.8–23 cm long (including 3.2–7.2 cm long petioloid base), 0.3–1.8 cm wide, long-attenuate into petioloid base, margins obscurely denticulate and revolute, apex shortly obtusely acuminate; stem leaves smaller and becoming progressively smaller up the stem, sessile, narrowly lanceolate, with slightly expanded base; all leaves glabrous, coriaceous.

Capitulum

Capitula radiate, erect, 1–4 in lax terminal corymb; stalk of individual heads slightly glandular-pubescent just below capitula, otherwise glabrous; involucre cylindrical, 7–9 mm long, 5–6 mm in diameter, glabrous except for a few glandular hairs at base; bracts of calyculus 4–10, lanceolate, 3–7 mm long; phyllaries 10–22, pale green with yellow-green tips, 6.2–10 mm long, apically bearded.

Florets

Ray florets 8–13, clear yellow, corolla tube 4–5 mm long, with a few hairs at the apex, rays 10–15 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, 4–7-veined; disc florets darker yellow, with yellow styles and brown anthers, corolla 6–7 mm long, tube slightly expanded in upper half, glabrous or almost so, lobes 1 mm long, erect.

Fruits

Achenes 3.5–4 mm long, glabrous, many-ribbed; pappus 5–7 mm long, white.

Habitat

Moist or marshy grassland; 1700–2000 m

Distribution

T7