Taxon Report

Senecio clevelandii Greene var. heterophyllus Hoover

Red Hills ragwort

Print Report


© 2015 Barry Breckling

Taxon Summary

Senecio clevelandii var. heterophyllus, commonly known as Red Hills ragwort, is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland (seeps, and serpentinite), growing at elevations from 260 to 385 meters. Senecio clevelandii var. heterophyllus is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.


  Classification

Scientific Name:
Senecio clevelandii Greene var. heterophyllus Hoover
Common Name:
Red Hills ragwort
Family: Asteraceae
Element Code: PDAST8H0R2
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Jul May-Jul
Elevation: 260-385 (855-1265)
General Habitats: Cismontane woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Total Occurrences: 12
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 4
   Good (B) 6
   Fair (C) 0
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 2
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Tuolumne (TUO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Chinese Camp (3712074), Keystone (3712075), Moccasin (3712073), Sonora (3712084)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 8
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
9 75 %
Other 7 58%
Improper burning regime 6 50%
Foot traffic/trampling 6 50%
Recreational use (non-ORV) 5 41%
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime 4 33%
Grazing 3 25%
ORV activity 2 16%
Development 1 8%

Notes

Known only from the Red Hills (TUO) and protected at Red Hills ACEC (BLM)
Threats:
Possibly threatened by grazing, recreational activities and foot traffic.
Taxonomy:
A synonym of Senecio clevelandii in The Jepson Manual (1993) and Packera clevelandii in the Jepson eFlora (2012). See Leaflets of Western Botany 2:132 (1938) for original description and Phytologia 49(1): 44-50 (1981) for revised nomenclature.
Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 15 July 2025].