''Senecio antisanae'' is a species of

Senecio ''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Description Morp ...

in the aster family found only in the subtropical or tropical moist

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

region of Ecuador. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. It is a terrestrial

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

that is only known from a few old collections in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. The only subpopulation with detailed location information was recorded at the Hacienda del Isco, in the foothills of Volcán Antisana in the Cordillera of Quito, in 1845. This subpopulation may now be inside the Antisana Ecological Reserve, a privately owned reserve that preserves the native flora and fauna of the

Northern Andean páramo The Northern Andean páramo (NT1006) is an ecoregion containing páramo vegetation above the treeline in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. In the past, when the climate was cooler, the treeline and the páramo units were lower and the units were c ...

. The species may be a synonym of '' S. iscoensis'' ( Nordenstam in Jørgensen and León-Yánez 1999), which itself may be properly named ''Aetheolaena senecioides''. No specimens of this species are housed in Ecuadorian museums.

References

External links

* antisanae Endemic flora of Ecuador Data deficient plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Senecioneae-stub