#dicot

IMPORTANT NOTE: This plant is toxic to horses and cattle, but it is rarely eaten.

Description: This is a short-lived perennial, lasting only 2-4 years, but it puts on a good show while asking very little of its environment or a tending gardener. It thrives in low-fertility sandy, rocky, or gravelly soil, but will also grow in clay and isn’t fussy about how well the soil drains. This plant is tap-rooted, but specimens grown from seed in pots will transplant well if planted young. They’ll never need or want fertilizing and, after some regular watering to keep the soil evenly moist for a couple months while they get established, they won’t need supplemental watering again. Narrow-leaf butterweed blooms throughout the summer with a profusion of inch-wide, flat, lemon-yellow sunburst-like flowers that transform into fluffy white seedheads in late-August and September. Its leaves are very narrow, smooth, up to 4 inches long, and bright green, though they usually shrivel and turn brown on the lower half of the plant by mid-summer, possibly misleading one to think the plant is dying. The vigorously blooming and vibrantly green upper parts prove otherwise. This half-dead appearance is normal; it should not be interpreted to mean the plant needs water or fertilizer. But it’s useful to consider the withering lower-leaves trait when choosing a place for this plant in the landscape and selecting companion plants. For example, surrounding this plant with a native grass of the right height (around 12”) such as blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) will set off the butterweed’s flower show and seedheads while masking its less attractive legs. Seeds dropped in late-summer germinate in the fall and overwinter, getting a headstart on the growing season to follow. What’s in the name? The Latin genus name “Senecio” means “old man” and was apparently chosen in reference to the plant group’s hairy white tufts of seedheads, which might be seen to resemble an old man’s beard. The species name “spartioides” is built from the “-oid” suffix meaning “like, resembling” and a reference to a different plant genus called “Spartium” (one species of which is Spanish broom). Spartium species are tall shrubs with light yellow flowers and rush-like stems that are used in making baskets. So Senecio spartioides is a plant resembling Spartium (broom) within a larger group of plants known for their old-man’s-beard-resembling seedheads. Common names abound for this plant. Apart from narrow-leaved butterweed and broom-like ragwort, it often goes by the names broom groundsel, broom butterweed, and grass-leaved ragwort.

Spread/Spacing: 24-36”; plant 36” apart.

Exposure: Full sun

Height: 24-36”

Soil Tolerances: Prefers dry, rocky, sandy, or gravelly, but will grow in clayey soils. Even tolerates poorly drained soil.

Soil Moisture: Dry

Water: Low; excellent drought tolerance.

Bloom: June-September; yellow

Value to Pollinators: Attracts native bees with its flat-topped, pollinator-friendly flowers.

Deer & Rabbit Resistance: High resistance; usually not eaten by mammals.

Where they like to grow: Dry, rocky, sandy, gravelly areas; semi-desert, foothills, shrublands; disturbed sites; roadsides.