Location
On trail before bridge #16 (N35D32'04.788 X W105D41'13.188)
Flowers first observed: 9/12/17
The Plant w/Flowers
The Flowers
Distribution
"Semi-desert, foothills. Sandy, gravelly openings, shrublands. Summer, fall." (SW Colorado Wildflowers)
"A widespread Senecio in the western United States, with uniformly distributed cauline leaves that have narrowly lanceolate to linear lobes." (polyploid.net)
Description
"Senecio spartioides grows in an open, many stemmed, airy manner with numerous bright gold/yellow flowers in flat-topped clusters. Leaves are narrow, to four inches long, and lower leaves are often withered by flowering time -- giving the plant a strange appearance: dead on the bottom and vibrant on top. In Canyon Country, Senecio spartioides often grows in open, sandy areas where plants are well-spaced and its two-to-three foot height and bright flowers really stand out." (SW Colorado Wildflowers)
Ethnobotanical Uses
Medicine:
"Hopi Antirheumatic (External) Poultice of flowers and leaves used for sore muscles. Dermatological Aid Poultice of ground leaf used for pimples and skin diseases. Keres, Western Gynecological Aid Infusion of leaves used as a tonic after childbirth." (Moerman 527)
Internet Links