Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Senecio glomeratus
Common name
A fireweed
Family
Asteraceae
Where found
Forest, woodland, heath, and moist sites including near streams and swamps. widespread. Not common on the Western Slopes.
subsp. glomeratus Forest, woodland, heath, and moist sites. Two records from south west and south of Bemboka.
subsp. longifructus Near streams and swamps. Coast, ranges, and tablelands..
Notes
Annual or short-lived perennial herb to about 2 m tall. Stems moderately rough-hairy, or hairy to hairless. Leaves alternating up the stems, 3-20 cm long, 10–50 mm wide, sometimes larger, bases with well-developed auricles, somewhat stem clasping, flattish in cross section, surfaces hairy to slightly hairy, lower surface sometimes tinged purple, margins coarsely toothed to deeply lobed, the lobes often toothed, with 2–7 oblong to oval, or less often triangular, lobes per side. Uppermost leaves with toothed margins or appearing entire due to rolling. Flower heads 3-6 mm long, 1.5-3 mm in diameter, cylindrical to almost globular, green to purple, with 0 petals, surrounded by 11-14 appressed green to purple bracts. Florets 26-50, about 2 mm longer than the flower head. Flower heads in large clusters, often 50–400 flowered. Flowers mostly Spring to Autumn.
subsp. glomeratus: Medium to dark red-brown seeds 1-1.7 mm long. Pappus usually more than 5 mm long. Bracts often purple throughout. Seeds best seen with a low power microscope.
subsp. longifructus: Outer seeds greenish or olive, other seeds medium brown. Seeds 1.3-2.2 mm long. Pappus usually less than 5 mm long. Bracts usually predominantly green. Seeds best seen with a low power microscope.
(subsp. longifructus) Rare Vic.
Hybridisation between subsp. glomeratus and subsp. longifructus is likely where their ranges overlap. Hybridisation between Senecio minimus or Senecio hispidulus and either Senecio glomeratus subsp. glomeratus or Senecio glomeratus subsp. longifructus is likely.
VICFLORA description of species and key to subspecies: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/fe892c9c-ad23-4571-aa90-48b83982b2d3 (accessed 14 April 2021)
This identification key and fact sheets are available as a free mobile application:
