Senecio scorzonella
Sierra ragwort
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Senecio scorzonella (Sierra ragwort) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by distinctive basal oblanceolate leaves with winged petioles.
Sierra ragwort is a California native perennial found in the high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and eastern Sierra Nevada in open woodland and subalpine meadows at elevations of 1,600 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces yellow disk flowers in clusters with 5 to 10 ray flowers, forming heads 10 to 24 millimeters wide. Growing with 1 to 4 stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, it emerges from a stout rhizome and has woolly to tufted-tomentose stems. Its basal leaves are oblanceolate to lanceolate, 4 to 12 centimeters long and 1.5 to 3 centimeters wide, with dentate edges tapering to winged petioles. The plant's distinctive involucre has approximately 13 green phyllaries with black-tipped edges, creating a bell-shaped flower cluster.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 20 sympatric species; distinctive basal oblanceolate leaves with winged petioles
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open woodland, subalpine meadows
Elevation: 1600-3500 m
Outside California: Nevada
Bloom period
Senecio scorzonella blooms Jul-Aug.
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 scorzonella native to California?
Yes. Senecio scorzonella is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Senecio scorzonella bloom?
Senecio scorzonella blooms Jul-Aug.
What plant family does Senecio scorzonella belong to?
Senecio scorzonella is in the Asteraceae family, genus Senecio.
What habitat does Senecio scorzonella grow in?
Senecio scorzonella grows in Open woodland, subalpine meadows.
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.