Senecio asperulus Dc.

Rhizomatous perennial herb up to c. 60 cm tall, rhizome thick (up to c. 1 cm diam.) branched, producing numerous congested leaf rosettes, older parts often clad in thick, marcescent leaf bases, flowering stems several from each crown, usually simple below the inflorescence, harshly pubescent, remotely leafy. Radical leaves up to 30 x 0.2-1 cm, linear-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, gradually narrowed to a flat petiole-like base expanded below, clasping, imbricated, thick-textured, rigid, margins often revolute, entire or nearly so in narrow leaves, callose-serrate or callose-serrulate in broad ones, the larger teeth very rarely denticulate though sometimes interspersed with smaller teeth, both surfaces minutely glandular-scabrid; cauline leaves similar but smaller, sessile, half-clasping, soon passing upwards into bracts. Heads discoid, solitary or several corymbosely arranged on long scaly peduncles. Involucre campanulate, bracts c. 14-20, 10-12 mm long, about equalling the disc, calyculus sparse, all glandular hispid on the backs, the hairs mostly short and stout. Flowers bright yellow. Achenes 4-4.5 mm long, narrowly cylindric, closely ribbed, white hispid.