Common Name

Cotton Fireweed, Fireweed

Family

Asteraceae

Notes

Perennial forb to 1.2m tall. Leaves alternating up the stems, bases occasionally lobed, 5-22cm long, 2-5mm wide, linear to flat (lowermost leaves to 12mm wide), hairy to hairless, toothed with the edges strongly rolled downwards and appearing entire, sometimes lobed, tips pointed. Flowers green to purple with yellow florets, and 0 petals. Flower heads cylindrical, in groups of up to 50-200 per stem at the tops of the stems.

Hybrids between Senecio quadridentatus and Senecio dolichocephalus have been recorded from the Eyre Peninsula, SA.

Hybrids between Senecio quadridentatus and Senecio runcinifolius have been recorded from the Murray River near Mildura.

The description above is mostly based on Ian R. Thompson (2004) Taxonomic studies of Australian Senecio (Asteraceae) I. the disciform species. Muelleria 19: 164-167, Fig 35 (photo of dried specimen page 165)

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 679

PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Senecio~quadridentatus