Senecio minimus

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Senecio minimus
Erechtites minima.jpeg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Senecio
Species:
S. minimus
Binomial name
Senecio minimus
Synonyms [1]
  • Erechtites minima(Poir.) DC.
  • Erechtite minimus(Poir.) DC.

Senecio minimus (syn. Erechtites minumus), commonly known as toothed fireweed [2] [3] and coastal burnweed, [4] is a species of plant in the sunflower family. It is native to Australia (all 6 states) and New Zealand, and also naturalized on the Pacific Coast of the United States (Washington, Oregon, and California). [2] [5] [6]

Contents

Description

Senecio minimus is an annual or perennial herb up to 200 cm (79 in) tall. Leaves are toothed but not pinnately lobed. One plant can produce as many as 200 yellow or purple flower heads, each with many small disc florets but no ray florets. [7] Its features include taproots with lateral roots that branch out into the soil. [8] Senecio minimus has a tall upper stem, a mid stem and a basal stem. [9] There is a leaf base from the mid stem which supports the leaves of the plant [9] which are sized around 80-250mm long and are spaced evenly. [10] The upper leaves of this species are narrow and linear shaped. They become widest at the auricles at the base of the leaf. The florets of Secenio minimus have triangular corolla lobes which become thicker apically. The stems are erect and are a dark green-purple colour. They have very small hairs below the mid stem, but above the stem it becomes more glabrous. [10]

Distribution

Senecio minimus is a species that is found not only in New Zealand and Australia but all over the world. It is naturally occurring in the US in states including California, Oregon and Washington. It is found in coastal parts of England. This species is also found in Australia in South-east Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, as well as parts of southwest and southeast Australia. [11] Senecio minimus is indigenous to New Zealand and is found in the coastal areas around the Chatham Islands and Stewart Island. [10] The species has been found in Malbrough, Nelson, Canterbury, Westland and Southland in the South Island of New Zealand as well as in North and South Auckland, Taranaki, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Wellington in the North Island. [9] Senecio minimus prefers a coastal environment but occasionally extends to more subalpine environments in New Zealand. The species' ideal habitat is usually associated with forest margins. [10] Senecio minimus is most commonly found in and around coastal habitats with forest or bush cover. It is also found in places where running water is present as well as shade from the sun. It can be seen in pasture land as well as tussock areas. [9]

Lifecycle

Senecio minimus is an angiosperm which is a flowering plant. It flowers throughout the year but is more predominant in the summer months. Angiosperms produce fruit that contains the seeds of the plant. Senecio minimus fruit throughout the year but most often produce during late summer and early autumn. [10] Seeds will only germinate if conditions are favourable during the summer period. Seeds are dispersed via wind. After this species flowers, it goes to seed. These seeds are found in the capitulum. The capitulum is the head of a stalk, which consists of a flat, dense cluster of small florets. When it goes to seed, seeds are released and dispersed by the wind. Wind carries the seeds to a new destination where, if not dormant, the seeds germinate almost immediately. [9]

Interactions

Senecio minimus grows in coastal areas. Coastal soils are usually a combination of clay, sand and silt, with the dominant soil texture being a clay loam. Senecio minimus is the host to three endemic herbivores: The magpie moth ( Nyctemera annulata ), the blue stem borer ( Patagoniodes farnaria ), and the Senecio gall fly ( Tephritis fascigera ). These species use Senecio minimus for feed and an environment to inhibit. [12] Senecio minimus influences the abundance of insects on and around it. This is because it is a species that insects commonly use to colonise. [13]

Further information

In Otago, the conservation status of Senecio minimus is threatened. The Otago conservation management strategy classifies it as nationally vulnerable. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteraceae</span> Large family of flowering plants

The family Asteraceae, with the original name Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae were first described in the year 1740. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger family is unclear as the quantity of extant species in each family is unknown.

<i>Chamaenerion angustifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae

Chamaenerion angustifolium is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed, in some parts of Canada as great willowherb, in Britain and Ireland as rosebay willowherb. In the United Kingdom it is also known as bombweed, as a result of its rapid appearance on city bomb sites during the Blitz of World War II; the plant is also traditionally known as Saint Anthony's laurel. It is also known by the synonyms Chamerion angustifolium and Epilobium angustifolium. It is native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, including large parts of the boreal forests.

<i>Ammophila arenaria</i> Species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae

Ammophila arenaria is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is known by the common names marram grass and European beachgrass. It is one of two species of the genus Ammophila. It is native to the coastlines of Europe and North Africa where it grows in the sands of beach dunes. It is a perennial grass forming stiff, hardy clumps of erect stems up to 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in height. It grows from a network of thick rhizomes which give it a sturdy anchor in its sand substrate and allow it to spread upward as sand accumulates. These rhizomes can grow laterally by 2 metres in six months. One clump can produce 100 new shoots annually.

Plant reproduction is the production of new offspring in plants, which can be accomplished by sexual or asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction produces offspring by the fusion of gametes, resulting in offspring genetically different from either parent. Asexual reproduction produces new individuals without the fusion of gametes, resulting in clonal plants that are genetically identical to the parent plant and each other, unless mutations occur.

<i>Senecio squalidus</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Senecio squalidus, known as Oxford ragwort, is a flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is a yellow-flowered herbaceous plant, native to mountainous, rocky or volcanic areas, that has managed to find other homes on man-made and natural piles of rocks, war-ruined neighborhoods and even on stone walls. These habitats resemble its well drained natural rocky homeland. The plants have spread via the wind, rail and the activities of botanists. The travels of this short-lived perennial, biennial, or winter annual make it a good subject for studies of the evolution and ecology of flowering plants.

<i>Erechtites hieraciifolius</i> Species of plant in the family Asteraceae

Erechtites hieraciifolius is a plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is native to the Americas, but is found many places around the world having been introduced by human activity. It is introduced in Hawaii, China, and Southeast Asia.

<i>Atriplex cinerea</i> Species of plant

Atriplex cinerea, commonly known as grey saltbush, coast saltbush, barilla or truganini, is a plant species in the family Amaranthaceae. It occurs in sheltered coastal areas and around salt lakes in the Australian states of Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.

<i>Erechtites</i> Genus of flowering plants

Erechtites is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family known commonly as fireweeds or burnweeds. They are native to the Americas and Australia, but some species are widely distributed weeds.

<i>Senecio angulatus</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Senecio angulatus, also known as creeping groundsel and Cape ivy, is a succulent flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is native to South Africa. Cape ivy is a scrambling herb that can become an aggressive weed once established, making it an invasive species. It has been naturalised in the Mediterranean Basin, where it is grown as an ornamental plant for its satiny foliage and sweet-scented flowers.

<i>Senecio tamoides</i> Species of vine

Senecio tamoides, also known as Canary creeper, false grapevine, and parlor ivy, is a climbing member of the genus Senecio of the family Asteraceae that is native to Southern Africa. It is used as an ornamental plant for its showy yellow, daisy-like flowers in late autumn through to winter.

<i>Senecio crassiflorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Senecio crassiflorus, in Portuguese: margarida-das-dunas, one of the native South American Senecio and an herbaceous dune dwelling perennial.

<i>Salicornia quinqueflora</i> Species of plant

Salicornia quinqueflora, synonym Sarcocornia quinqueflora, commonly known as beaded samphire, bead weed, beaded glasswort or glasswort, is a species of succulent halophytic coastal shrub. It occurs in wetter coastal areas of Australia and New Zealand.

<i>Senecio madagascariensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Senecio madagascariensis, also known as Madagascar ragwort, is a species of the genus Senecio and family Asteraceae that is native to Southern Africa. Other common names include Madagascar groundsel and fireweed. It has been included on the noxious weeds list for Hawaii and the reject list for Australia. S.madagascariensis is the diploid cytotype of S.inaequidens.

<i>Layia carnosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Layia carnosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name beach tidytips, or beach layia. It is endemic to California, where it lives in beach habitat. It is known from several areas of mostly fragmented coastal habitat, and it was listed as an endangered species in California. On March 31, 2022, the category was changed from endangered species to threatened species by the US Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service.

<i>Haloragis erecta</i> Species of flowering plant

Haloragis erecta, the shrubby haloragis, toatoa or erect seaberry, is a plant species that is endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Senecio hispidulus</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Senecio hispidulus, the hill fireweed or rough groundsel, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family. It is found in many parts of Australia.

<i>Senecio glastifolius</i> Species of flowering plant

Senecio glastifolius is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names woad-leaved ragwort, holly-leaved senecio, and pink ragwort. A tall perennial herb, it is native to southern Africa, and it is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its colorful flowers. It has been known to escape cultivation and become naturalized in areas of appropriate climate; it can be found growing wild in parts of New Zealand and Australia.

<i>Erechtites glomeratus</i> Species of flowering plant

Erechtites glomeratus, common name New Zealand fireweed, or cutleaf burnweed, or fireweed or Cluster-headed fireweed, is a species of plant in the sunflower family. It is native to Australia and New Zealand, and also naturalized on the Pacific Coast of the United States.

<i>Lophomyrtus obcordata</i>

Lophomyrtus obcordata commonly known by its Māori name Rōhutu or tutuhi, is an angiosperm shrub of Myrtaceae, in the genus Lophomyrtus. It is an endemic species of New Zealand, usually found in lowland forest. Lophomyrtus comes from the ancient Greek lóphos (crest), meaning bunches; and Myrtus (myrtle) meaning myrtle tree. Obcordata is associated with a heart-shaped leaf, attached to the peduncle by the pointed end.

<i>Senecio quadridentatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Senecio quadridentatus is native to Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand it is known by its Māori name pahokoraka or pekapeka. Senecio quadridentatus is an annual or perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is also known as Erechtites quadridentata Labill by the synonyms.

References

  1. Tropicos, Erechtites minimus (Poir.) DC.
  2. 1 2 Atlas of Living Australia, Senecio minimus Poir., Toothed Fireweed
  3. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Erechtites minimus". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  5. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  6. Calflora taxon report, University of California, Senecio minimus Poir., Coastal burnweed
  7. Flora of North America, Erechtites minimus (Poir.) DC.
  8. "Coastal Burnweed". eol. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Drury, D.G (1974). "Illustrated and annotated key to the erechtitoid Senecios in New Zealand (senecioneae-Compositae) with a description of Senecio diaschides". N.Z. Journal of Botany. 12 (4): 513–540. doi: 10.1080/0028825X.1974.10428637 .
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 de Lange, P.J. "Senecio minimus Fact sheet (content continuously updated)". New Zealand plant conservation network. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  11. "Erechtites Minimus". Catalogue of Life - World plants. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  12. Sullivan, J.; Winks, C.; Fowler, S. "Novel host associations and habitats for Senecio-specialist herbivorous insects in Auckland". New Zealand Ecology. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  13. Krejcek, C.S. (2014). "Direct and indirect interactions of native and introduced species in coastal habitats". Victoria University of Wellington. hdl:10063/3467 . Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  14. "Threatened and at-risk indigenous flora and fauna present in Otago". Department of conservation.