Senecio spartioides
Broom-like ragwort, Broom-Like Ragwort
(c) Jared Lincenberg, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Senecio spartioides (Broom-like ragwort) is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by unique subshrub growth form with fleshy linear leaves.
Broom-like ragwort is a California native shrub found in the Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, eastern Sierra Nevada, and desert mountains in open, dry disturbed sites, streambanks, and hillsides at elevations of 1,000 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces yellow flowers in radiate heads with 5 to 8 ray flowers arranged in compound flat-topped clusters. Growing with multiple stems 2 to 12 decimeters tall from a woody taproot, it develops distally branched stems that are glabrous or slightly hairy. Its distinctive leaves are fleshy, narrowly linear to thread-like, 5 to 10 centimeters long and extremely narrow, ranging from 1 to 6 millimeters wide. The fruit is 2 to 3.5 millimeters long with sparsely hairy ribs.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 20 sympatric species; unique subshrub growth form with fleshy linear leaves
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, dry disturbed sites, streambanks, hillsides
Elevation: 1000-3500 m
Outside California: to South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas
Bloom period
Senecio spartioides blooms Jul-Sep.
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 spartioides native to California?
Yes. Senecio spartioides is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Senecio spartioides bloom?
Senecio spartioides blooms Jul-Sep.
What plant family does Senecio spartioides belong to?
Senecio spartioides is in the Asteraceae family, genus Senecio.
What habitat does Senecio spartioides grow in?
Senecio spartioides grows in Open, dry disturbed sites, streambanks, hillsides.
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.