Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Senecio quadridentatus
Common name
Cotton Fireweed, Cottony Fireweed
Family
Asteraceae
Where found
Dry forest, woodland, shrubland, grassy areas, disturbed sites, and gullies. Widespread.
Notes
Perennial herb to 1.2 m tall, arising annually from the base. Stems densely white-hairy, old stems occasionally becoming hairless. Leaves alternating up the stems, 3.5-22 cm long, 1-15 mm wide, upper surface appressed-cobwebby, often becoming hairless; lower surface usually moderately to densely woolly, rarely flushed purple, margins toothed, but the margins strongly rolled down and then the leaves appearing entire, sometimes dissected with 1 or 2 triangular lobes per side, tips pointed. Flower heads 6-10 mm long, cylindrical, green to purple with 18-50 yellow florets about the same length as the flower heads, 0 petals. Flower heads surrounded by 8-14 appressed bracts. Flower heads in clusters of about 40–300 flower heads Flowers Spring to Autumn.
A feature of this species is the often precociously developed leafy growth at the bases of the leaves.
All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.
Flora of Australia description: https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Senecio%20quadridentatus (accessed 29 January 2021)
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