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Annual Fireweed

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Annual Fireweed Photos

Scientific Name:Senecio glomeratus subsp. longifructus
Mature plants of Annual Fireweed in a dense stand of Lax Saltmarsh-grass
Annual Fireweed plants
Photo: A J Brown

Other Common Names:
Longfruit Purple Fireweed, Swamp Groundsel

Status:
Native to South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.

Plant Description:
Short-lived perennial (despite common name) herb with a well developed taproot and growing to 2 m tall and of erect habit, being coarsely hairy at the base and becoming more glabrous (hairless) upward. Leaves narrow-elliptic, 5-20 cm long with coarse-dentate to deeply lobed margins. Lower surface of upper leaves occasionally weakly cobwebby and flowering stems sparsely to moderately cobwebby.

Flowers yellow, numerous and composing a ‘composite head’ (involucre), 3-6 mm long and 1.5-2.5 mm wide, of tubular or ‘disk’ florets, with the central florets bisexual and the outer florets female. Leafy bract (phyllaries) surrounding the composite flower-head mostly 12-14 in number and sometimes with purple tips.

Habitat:
Grows adjacent to streams and swamps, including saline flats.

RegionSalinity ClassWaterlogging Class
Western, GippslandS0, S1, S2W2, W3

Comments:
This subspecies of Annual Fireweed (Senecio glomeratus subsp. glomeratus) was newly described in 2004. It differs from the typical species in having greenish or olive outer fruits surrounding medium to dark red-brown inner fruits (instead of all medium to dark-brown), fruits that are greater than a third as long as length of the phyllaries and pappus less than 5 mm long. The phyllaries of subsp. glomeratus can be purple throughout and its leaves are often not as deeply dissected as in subsp. longifructus. The typical species tends to grow in forest, woodland and heathland environments.

Annual Fireweed Photos




Flowering plants of Annual Fireweed
Flowering plants of Annual Fireweed
Photo: A J Brown
Mature flowers of Annual Fireweed (subsp. longifructus)
Mature flowers of Annual Fireweed (subsp. longifructus)
Photo: A J Brown

Leaves of Annual Firweed (subsp. longifructus)
Leaves of Annual Fireweed (subsp. longifructus)
Photo: A J Brown

Mature flowers of typical Annual Fireweed (subsp. glomeratus)
Mature flowers of typical Annual Fireweed (subsp. glomeratus)
Photo: A J Brown

Leaves of typical Annual Fireweed (subsp. glomeratus)
Leaves of typical Annual Fireweed (subsp. glomeratus)
Photo: A J Brown
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