SENECIO PAUPERCULUS
Michx.
Balsam Squaw-weed
FAMILY: Asteraceae (Compositae)
SYNONYMS: Senecio balsamitae Muhl. ex Willd.
HABIT: Perennial herb to 20 cm, often with short slender
stolons; flowers and fruits May-July.
SIMILAR SPECIES: This species can easily be confused with
several other members of the genus, especially with S. plattensis.
Typical S. pauperculus can be distinguished by the following combination
of characters: plants mostly glabrous at maturity; stems frequently loosely
clustered; caudex short, horizontal and branching; cauline leaves much reduced;
basal leaves lance-ovate to spatulate-oblanceolate; inflorescence loose with
less than 20 heads.
TOTAL RANGE: Lab. to AK, s. to GA and OR.
STATE RANGE: There are post-1960 records from Erie, Geauga,
Highland and Ottawa Counties.
STATE STATUS: 1980-1987: Potentially Threatened,
1988 to present: Threatened.
HABITAT: Usually on calcareous soils; especially cliffs,
quarries and rocky shores near Lake Erie.
HAZARDS: Overshading by woody or other species as a result
of succession.
RECOVERY POTENTIAL: Possibly good, this species appears to
respond to disturbance and has become fairly common in some of the abandoned
quarries on Kelleys Island and the Marblehead Peninsula.
INVENTORY GUIDELINES: Collect complete and mature specimens,
including basal leaves and underground parts.
COMMENTS: S. pauperculus is one of the most
widespread and complex species in the genus. Considerable intergradation occurs
with several species that also occur in Ohio, including S. anonymous, S.
plattensis and S. aureus (Barkley 1988). S. pauperculus and S.
plattensis are known to intergrade throughout much of their shared range
(Barkley 1963).
SELECTED REFERENCES:
Barkley, T.M. 1962. A revision of Senecio aureus
Linn. and allied species. Trans. Kan. Acad. Sci. 65: 318-408.
Barkley, T.M. 1963. The intergradation of Senecio
plattensis and Senecio pauperculus in Wisconsin. Rhodora 65: 57-65.
Barkley, T.M. 1978. Senecio. N. Am. Flora. II. 10:
50-139.
Barkley, T.M. 1988. Variation among the Aureoid Senecios of
North America: a geohistorical interpretation. Bot. Rev. 54: 82-106.
Fisher, T.R. 1988. The Dicotyledoneae of Ohio. Part
3. Asteraceae. Ohio State Univ. Press, Columbus. 280 pp.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
Created: 4/1993 Greg Schneider
Database Code: SPNX.659