Senecio carnosulus
Synonyms
Senecio lautus var. carnosulus Kirk, Senecio lautus subsp. carnosulus (Kirk) Ornd., Senecio lautus var. alpha Cheeseman
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
SENCAR
Chromosome number
2n = 80
Current conservation status
The threat classification status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – a suggested threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2018 | At Risk – Declining
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DP, EF, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Sparse
Distribution
Endemic. South Island only. Banks Peninsula then from the Otago Peninsula south and across to Stewart Island.
Habitat
Coastal on rock stacks, cliff faces, amongst boulders and on cobble/ coarse gravel beaches. Sometimes on consolidated sand or clay banks. Often in association with sea bird roosts and nesting sites.
Features
Annual or short-lived perennial, somewhat fleshy herb. Stems prostrate, semi-erect to erect, often spreading laterall from some distance, particularly in well established plants. Leaves glabrous or glabrescent, if the latter then with scattered hairs on midrib and lamina margins (particularly near base); apetiolate, narrow-oblong to elliptic or obovate, amplexicaul, usually pinnatifid with 1-3 broad, few-toothed segments on either side, sometimes not lobed but serrate with 1-8 teeth on each side, 20-90 x 5-45 mm. Uppermost leaves smaller, narrower, and often less divided. Supplementary bracts 4-10, 1-4 mm long. Involucral bracts 11-16, glabrous, 5-9 mm long. Ray florets (0-)7-11; ligules yellow, 1-4 mm. Disc yellow, 4-8 mm diameter. Cypsela 2.8-3.5 mm long, grey-black, usually more or less evenly covered in dense hairs (sometimes outer most cypsela almost glabrous), slightly narrowed to apex.
Similar taxa
Closely allied to S. lautus Willd., and S. sterquilinus Ornduff. It differs from S. lautus by its larger stature, and much more stocky, stout, succulent stems and foliage, broader leaf segments, longer involucral bracts, wider discs and shorter rays. Senecio sterquilinus is quite similar but it is usually an even larger plant, with a strictly erect rather than prostrate to semi-erect or erect growth habit, typically with more divided leaves and 13-24 rather than 10-16 involucral bracts. S. carnosulus has 2n = 80 chromosomes rather than 2n = 40 seen in S. lautus and S. sterquilinus.
Flowering
November - February
Flower colours
Yellow
Fruiting
December - March
Propagation technique
Easy from fresh seed. Best treated as an annual. It can become invasive.
Threats
An apparently naturally uncommon, sporadically occurring species. At times it can be locally common. There is some evidence to suggest it has declined from parts of its range, particularly around the Otago Peninsula.
Etymology
senecio: From the Latin senex ‘old man’ (probably referring to the bearded seeds)
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 1 November 2008. Description based on Webb et al. (1988).
References and further reading
Webb CJ, Sykes WR, Garnock-Jones PJ 1988. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Senecio carnosulus Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/senecio-carnosulus/ (Date website was queried)