Riddell ragwort

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Riddell ragwort

Riddell ragwort

Riddell ragwort

Riddell ragwort

Riddell ragwort

Riddell ragwort

Riddell ragwort

Riddell ragwort leaves

Morphology

Stem

Erect to arching, numerous, branched above, glabrous, woody at base.

Leaves

Alternate, crowded, stalked to sessile, irregularly pinnately-divided; segments linear, 1.6 to 3.6 inches long, less than 1/5 inch wide, glabrous; lower leaves often drying and drooping on mature plants.

Inflorescence

Cluster of heads, flat-topped, terminal; each cluster with 5-20 heads.

Flower

Heads up to 1.25 inch across, bell-shaped, on stalks; bracts frequently 13, 1/3 to 2/5 inch long; ray florets frequently 8, 1/3 to 2/5 inch long, yellow, often drooping; disk florets numerous, corollas yellowish-orange.

Fruit

Achenes, cylindrical, ribbed, short-hairy, gray, tipped with numerous slender white bristles, enclosing small seed.

Ecology

Habitat

Shortgrass and sandsage prairies, rocky pastures, and drying flood plains; open, sandy sites.

Distribution

West 1/2 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Poisonous to livestock. Usually eradicated from pastures when found.