Senecio (serra)

Dave Skinner PMC Farm Manager USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Room 211A Hulbert Hall WSU Pullman, Washington 99164-6211 509-335-9689 509-335-2940 (fax) abbie@wsu.edu http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/wapmc

---

Family Scientific Name:	Asteraceae
Family Common Name:	Sunflower
Scientific Name:	Senecio serra Hook. serra
Common Name:	serrated groundsel, tall butterweed, butterweed groundsel
Species Code:	SESE2, SESES
Ecotype:	Paradise Creek drainage near Pullman, Washington.
General Distribution:	Native to open places in moist meadows, moist hillsides and open coniferous forests of western North America from British Columbia to California and east to Montana and Colorado. The Palouse phase is var. serra. Wetland indicator status is FACU (US Fish and Wildlife Service 1988).
Known Invasiveness:	not invasive
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	10 cu. in.
Time To Grow:	4 Months
Target Specifications:	Tight root plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Fruit is an achene which ripens in late July. It is collected when the pappus begins to expand. Seed is grayish brown in color and wind disseminated, so must be collected before it blows away. The collection window is narrow. Seed remaining on the plants after most has been dispersed is generally not viable. Seed can be collected using a vacuum cleaner. This removes only mature seed and reduces the amount of trash which subsequently must be cleaned from the seed. Harvested seed is stored in paper bags at room temperature until cleaned.
Propagule Processing:	Small amounts can rubbed to free the seed from the pappus, then cleaned with an air column separator. Larger amounts can be threshed with a hammermill, then cleaned with air screen equipment. Collecting seed using a vacuum cleaner with a corrugated hose often removes the pappus to the extent that rubbing or use of a hammermill is unnecessary. Clean seed is stored in controlled conditions at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity. 600,000 seeds/lb (Stevens et al 1996).
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seed can be direct sown in the field in the fall or early spring (Stevens et al 1996). Some germination will occur without pretreatment but germination is much higher after 16 weeks of cold moist stratification. Germination will occur at low temperatures (McDonough 1969). Imbibed seeds exposed to alterating day/night temperatures before cold moist stratification germinate earlier than those imbibed during stratification. Some seeds germinated without the stratification treatment, indicating that fall germination is possible, but most of the seeds germinate after 14-16 weeks of cold moist stratification (McDonough 1974). For this ecotype, 90 days of cold moist stratification results in maximum germination. Unpublished data from trials conducted at the Pullman Plant Materials Center revealed that 47% emergence occurred without stratification. 45 days of cold, moist stratification resulted in 67% emergence. 90 days of cold, moist stratification resulted in 99% emergence.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	In late October or early November seed is sown in 10 cu. in. Ray Leach Super cell conetainers filled with Sunshine #4 and covered lightly. A thin layer of coarse grit is applied to the top of the planting soil to prevent seeds from floating during watering. Conetainers are watered deeply and placed outside. Conetainers are moved to the greenhouse in January. Alternately, seed can be moist stratified in a refrigerator at 35-40o F for 90days before sowing in the greenhouse. Germination will occur at cold temperatures. Some seed will germinate during stratification and stratified seed will emerge more rapidly than untreated seed.
Establishment Phase:	Medium is kept moist until germination occurs. Germination usually begins in 2 days and is complete in 7 days.
Length of Establishment Phase:	1 week
Active Growth Phase:	Plants are watered deeply every other day and fertilized once per week with a complete, water soluble fertilizer containing micro-nutrients. Plants may require water every day during the final part of the active growth period.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	3-4 months
Hardening Phase:	Plants are moved to the cold frame in late March or early April, depending on weather conditions. They are watered every other day if the weather is cool, and every day during hot, dry spells.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2-4 weeks
Other Comments:	No insect or disease problems have been noted.
References:	Daubenmire, R.F. 1970. Steppe Vegetation of Washington. Washington State Univ. Coop. Ext. Service EB 1446. Pullman, WA. Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 730 pp. Larrison, Earl J., Grace W. Patrick, William H. Baker, and James A. Yaich. 1974. Washington Wildflowers. The Seattle Audubon Society. Seattle, WA. 376 pp. McDonough, Walter T. 1969. Effective Treatments for the Induction of Germination in Mountain Rangeland Species. Northwest Science 43:18-22. McDonough, W.T. 1974. Effect of Temperature Pretreatment of Achenes of Senecio serra on Germination During Stratification. Canadian Journal of Botany 52:1985-1987. Piper, C.V., and R.K. Beattie. 1914. The Flora of Southeastern Washington and Adjacent Idaho. Lancaster, PA. Press of the New Era Printing Company. 296 p. Rickett, Harold W. 1973. Wildflowers of the United States: The Central Mountains and Plains. Vol. 6. (3 parts). McGraw Hill, New York. St. John, Harold. 1963. Flora of Southeastern Washington and of Adjacent Idaho. 3rd edition. Outdoor Pictures. Escondido, CA. 583 pp. Stevens, Richard, Kent R. Jorgensen, Stanford A. Young, Stephen B. Monsen. 1996. Forb and Shrub Seed Production Guide for Utah. Utah State Univ. Extension AG501. Online at http://extension.usu.edu/files/agpubs/f&sguide.pdf USDA ARS National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://www.ars-grin.gov2/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?448068 (25 February 2008). USDA, NRCS. 2008. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 25 February 2008). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. US Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. National list of vascular plant species that occur in wetlands. US Fish & Wildlife Service Biological Report 88 (24).

Citation:

Skinner, David M,. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Senecio serra Hook. plants 10 cu. in.; USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Pullman, Washington. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/23). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.