''Senecio linearifolius'', commonly known as fireweed groundsel, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a small shrub with variable leaves, numerous heads of yellow flowers and grows in Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria.

Description

''Senecio linearifolius'' is a fragrant, sparse to shrubby perennial to about high and stems with smooth, fine, downy white hairs. Leaves are variable, linear to egg-shaped, long, wide, usually sessile or with basal lobes, margins smooth, wavy or regularly toothed, lobed at the base or stem clasping. Both surfaces of the leaf are smooth and sparingly to thickly covered in downy white hairs.

Inflorescence

The inflorescence is a cluster of 20-200 flowers in a corymb about across. The individual flowers are in a grouping of 4–8 with a yellow centre. The fruit is a narrowly oblong-shaped cypsela, long, light coloured to reddish-brown, surface with scattered or bands of hairs. Flowering occurs mostly from November to March.

Taxonomy and naming

''Senecio linearifolius'' was first formally described by

Achille Richard Achille Richard was a French botanist, botanical illustrator and physician (27 April 1794 in Paris – 5 October 1852). Biography Achille was the son of the botanist Louis-Claude Marie Richard (1754–1821). He was a pharmacist in the Frenc ...

and the description was published in ''Voyage de Decouvertes de l'Astrolabe. Botanique''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''linearifolius'') means linear leaved.

Distribution and habitat

Fireweed groundsel occurs in south-eastern Australia including Tasmania in moist habitats. In New South Wales it occurs mostly on the ranges south of Tenterfield and west to

Nundle Nundle is a village in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Nundle Shire, but most of this area, including the village of Nundle, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. The village ...

. In Victoria it is found in the Grampians,

Brisbane Ranges The Brisbane Ranges National Park is a national park in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, The national park is situated approximately west of Melbourne near the town of and is managed by Parks Victoria. The park covers par ...

, near

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

and Euroa.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15599657 linearifolius Taxa named by Achille Richard Flora of New South Wales Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (state)