Flora of New Zealand Series

Senecio heterophylla Col. in T.N.Z.I. 27, 1895, 389.

Type locality: near Dannevirke. Type: W, "in deep forests, March 1894, W. Colenso".

Stout erect annual to biennial glab. herb up to ± 1 m. tall; main stem hardened at base, up to 1 cm. diam., deeply grooved, sparingly or not branched towards infl. Lvs spreading, of lanceolate to narrow-oblong order, sharply serrate-dentate, subacute to acute or sts ± acuminate, tapering to shortly petiolate auriculate base, dark green above, paler below, rarely slightly lobed; lamina of lower lvs (7)-10-20 × (0·5)-1-2 cm.; mid laminae similar, smaller; uppermost laminae c. 2.5 cm. × 2 mm., linear, merging into bracts of infl. Infl. a diffuse subcorymbose panicle, 10-20 cm. diam., with ∞ capitula on slender pedicels. Capitula c. 6·5 mm. long, c. 5 mm. diam. Calyculus of 5-6 bracteoles; phyll. us. 8, 5-9 mm. long, linear, obtuse to subacute, glab., widened at base, scarious. Florets c. 20; ♀ filiform, 3-4-lobed; perfect narrow-funnelform, 5-lobed. Achenes c. 2 mm. long, narrow-cylindric, grooved, hispidulous on ridges, glab. in grooves. Pappus-hairs fine, white, 6-8 mm. long.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch. Lowland to montane forest, especially marginally, and cleared ground (often a "fireweed").