Senecio fremontii
Dwarf Mountain Ragwort
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Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Senecio fremontii (Dwarf Mountain Ragwort) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by Dwarf alpine ragwort 1-3 dm; fleshy toothed ovate leaves, rocky high elevations.
Dwarf mountain ragwort is a California native perennial found in mountain regions in alpine and subalpine habitats at elevations up to 3,000 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces yellow ray flowers 8 to 12 millimeters long with distinctive radiate heads. Growing with 10 to 30 centimeters tall stems that are often purple-tinged and spread at the base, it forms small clustered clusters. Its leaves are stiff and fleshy, typically less than 4 centimeters long, with oval to lance-shaped blades that are slightly toothed or nearly smooth-edged. The plant produces compact clusters of flower heads with 35 to 50 disk flowers surrounded by about 8 ray flowers.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Dwarf alpine ragwort 1-3 dm; fleshy toothed ovate leaves, rocky high elevations
How to tell it apart
vs Packera: Senecio has larger leaves (over 2.5 inches) and often black-tipped bracts; Packera has tiny leaves (under 1.5 inches) with green or reddish tips.; vs Sonchus: Senecio has yellow daisy flowers with a neat single row of bracts; Sonchus has dandelion-like flowers and milky sap when broken.; vs Dudleya: Senecio is in the sunflower family with daisy flowers; Dudleya is a succulent with thick fleshy leaves and star-shaped flowers.; vs Ericameria: Senecio has one main row of equal bracts around flower heads; Ericameria has 2-4 overlapping rows of unequal bracts.; vs Taraxacum: Senecio has branching stems with multiple flower heads; Taraxacum has leafless hollow stems with single dandelion-like heads.
Frequently asked questions
Is Senecio fremontii native to California?
Yes. Senecio fremontii is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Senecio fremontii belong to?
Senecio fremontii is in the Asteraceae family, genus Senecio.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.