Common name: Western Groundsel
Senecio leptocarpus DC. APNI* 
Description: Rhizomatous perennial herb, mostly 10–30 cm high, glabrous or shortly hairs.
Leaves mostly crowded at base of stem, reducing up stem and grading into bracteoles; oblanceolate to spathulate, 2–8 cm long, 5–10 mm wide, margins coarsely toothed, slightly fleshy, lamina ± glabrous, base often purplish, tapered and petiole-like, stem-clasping and ± auriculate.
Inflorescence a corymb of 2–5 heads on a scape to 25 cm long; heads campanulate, 8–10 mm diam., glabrous; involucral bracts c. 13 , 6–9 mm long; bracteoles 4–6. Ray florets c. 13; ligules 8–10 mm long.
Achenes 2.5–4 mm long, glabrous or hairy; pappus 5–7 mm long.
Flowering: autumn.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in alpine herbfields and tussock grassland; Kosciusko N.P., rare.
NSW subdivisions: ST
Other Australian states: Vic. Tas.
Doubtful records for NSW (I.R.Thompson, Muelleria 24:73, 2006).
Text by G. J. Harden
Taxon concept: R.O. Belcher (1996)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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