Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Senecio aureus
Squaw-weed, Golden ragwort
Taxonomy

Synonyms: Packera aurea

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
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F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
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Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Dicot-herb, perennial

Roots: adventitious, rhizomes, stolons

Shoots: alternate leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; undulate, lobed (pinnately), parted (pinnately) leaf margin; Pinnate leaf venation; orbicular and peltate leaf shape

Inflorescence: head

Flowers: perfect, unisexual, monoecious; complete, regular, irregular; yellow; epigynous ovary position

Fruit: achene

Physiology: autotrophic

Reproduction: sexual, vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed on low ground along spring branches, wet ledges, bluff bases, rocky ravine slopes, calcareous springy habitats, and meadows.

ILPIN Notes: This species may not be an economic weed in our area. For foliage and showy yellow flowers, this is a desirable addition to moist wildflower gardens - pleasing cover for stream banks and spring borders. When in flower, species produces a pleasant, delicate fragrance from involucre and leaves of the flower head - this scent is unique in genus. Species has large round dark-green basal leaves. Disk flowers are perfect and fertile; ray flowers are pistillate and fertile - forms large colonies.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators:
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers: high

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 4
  • Chicago Area: 7

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