Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Senecio spathulatus

Flowering plant (var. attenuatus). Photographer Arthur Chapman, Royal National Park near Sydney

Flowering plant (var. latifructus). Photographer Dean Ansell, Nadgee Nature Reserve

Common name

Coast groundsel

Family

Asteraceae

Where found

Mostly on frontal dunes forming low, broad clumps.

var. attenuatus:  Strictly coastal. North from Royal National Park in the Sydney area.

var. latifructus:  Nadgee Nature Reserve south of Eden

Notes

Sprawling to prostrate perennial herb to 0.5 m high, rhizomatous. Leaves and flower heads fleshy. Stems more or less hairless. Leaves alternating along the stems. Leaves in the mid-region of the stems 1–5 cm long, 6-25 mm wide, margins toothed, sometimes lobed. Flower heads with 8-16 yellow 'petals' each 10–25 mm long, and yellow centres 4–10 mm in diameter. 60–140 florets including the 'petal' florets. Flower heads below the 'petals' broadly bell-shaped, surrounded by 8–10 or about 13 appressed bracts. Flower heads in clusters of 1–5. Flowers most of the year.

Endangered NSW. Provisions of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 No 63 relating to the protection of protected plants generally also apply to plants that are a threatened species.

NSW Threatened Species profile:  http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedSpeciesApp/profile.aspx?id=10751 (accessed 8 January 2021)

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Senecio~spathulatus (accessed 8 January 2021)

var. attenuatus:  Mid-branch leaves usually tapering somewhat near the base (width 3 mm from the base commonly less than 1/3 of the maximum width). Seeds more or less densely hairy.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Senecio~spathulatus+var.~attenuatus  (accessed 8 January 2021)

var. latifructus:  Mid-branch leaves not tapering or tapering slightly near the base (width 3 mm from the base commonly more than 1/3 of the maximum width). Seeds hairless, rarely with scattered hairs.

Rare Vic.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Senecio~spathulatus+var.~latifructus  (accessed 8 January 2021)