匍枝蒲儿根(原变种) pu zhi pu er gen (yuan bian zhong)

Senecio globiger C. C. Chang, Sunyatsenia 6: 21. 1941 ["globigerus"]; Sinosenecio guizhouensis C. Jeffrey & Y. L. Chen.

Stolons present and long, or absent, if present then usually not leafy in basal and middle parts, but densely leafy in upper part. Involucres 5-8 mm in diam. Indumentum of peduncles and phyllaries not glandular. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. May-Jul. 2n = 48*, 72*.

● Wet shaded places, streamsides, woods; 500-2000 m. Chongqing, Guizhou, W Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, E Sichuan, N Yunnan.

Two types of plants have been observed within Sinosenecio globiger var. globiger, one with stolons and the other without. The two types have almost the same geographical distribution, but, so far, both types were found to co-occur only in one site of SW Hubei. They seem to have differentiated to some extent in habitat preference, flowering time, and also in some morphological characters. The stoloniferous type has long stolons and a simple synflorescence, flowers in May and June, and grows in woods, whereas the estoloniferous type has a branched synflorescence, flowers in April, and usually grows along streamsides. At this site, only one individual was found to be a possible hybrid between the two types. Further studies are needed to determine if the two types are worthy of formal taxonomic recognition.