Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2026-01-23
Page range: 94-102
Abstract views: 133
PDF downloaded: 11

Pelseria, a new genus of Asteraceae—Senecioneae segregated from Senecio in southern South America

División Plantas Vasculares, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales (MACN-CONICET), Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, C1405DJR Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (ANCEFN–CONICET), Labardén 200, CC 22, B1642HYD, San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (ANCEFN–CONICET), Labardén 200, CC 22, B1642HYD, San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (ANCEFN–CONICET), Labardén 200, CC 22, B1642HYD, San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Compositae Senecio otites Senecio section Otites Taxonomy Eudicots

Abstract

Pelseria S.E.Freire & Urtubey, a new monotypic genus, is described to accommodate Senecio otites from S. sect. Otites. The new genus is a perennial herb with large petiolate leaves and auriculate stipules, occurring in southern Argentina and Chile. The style morphology of Pelseria resembles that of Dendrophorbium and Hoehnephytum due to the subconvex style tips with short sweeping-hairs. Molecular evidence from nuclear and plastid DNA sequences place Pelseria in a clade with Graphistylis dichroa, Hoehnephytum trixoides, Dendrophorbium bomanii, and Arbelaezaster ellsworthii. A key to the similar genera found in Argentina and Chile is provided, as well as a distribution map of the new genus.

References

  1. Cabrera, A.L. (1949) El género Senecio en Chile. Lilloa 15: 27–501.
  2. Cabrera, A.L. (1957) El género Senecio (Compositae) en Brasil, Paraguay y Uruguay. Archivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 15: 161–269.
  3. Cabrera, A.L. (1985) El género Senecio (Compositae) en Bolivia. Darwiniana 26: 79–217.
  4. Calvo, J. (2020) Ajustes nomenclaturales, sinonimizaciones y tipificaciones en Senecio (Compositae) de la flora chilena. Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid 77 (2): e100. https://doi.org/10.3989/ajbm.2574
  5. Candolle, A. de (1838) Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis, vol. 6. Treuttel & Würtz, Paris, 687 pp.
  6. Cuatrecasas, J. (1981) Studies in neotropical Senecioneae II. Transfers to genus Pentacalia of north Andean species. Phytologia 49: 241–260. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.15138
  7. Freire, S.E., Ariza Espinar, L., Salomón, L. & Hernández, M.P. (2014) Asteraceae: Senecio. In: Freire, S.E. (Coord.), Zuloaga, F.O., Belgrano, M.J. & Anton, A.M. (Eds.) Flora Vascular Argentina, vol. 7 (3). Estudio Sigma, Buenos Aires, Argentina, pp. 27–220.
  8. Jeffrey, C. (1986) Notes on Compositae, IV: The Senecioneae in East Tropical Africa. Kew Bulletin 41: 873–943. https://doi.org/10.2307/4102988
  9. Jeffrey, C. (1992) Notes on Compositae, VI: The tribe Senecioneae (Compositae) in the Mascarene Islands with an annotated world check-list of the genera of the tribe. Kew Bulletin 47: 49–109. https://doi.org/10.2307/4110768
  10. Jeffrey, C. & Chen, Y.L. (1984) Taxonomic studies on the tribe Senecioneae (Compositae) of Eastern Asia. Kew Bulletin 39: 205–446. https://doi.org/10.2307/4110124
  11. Jeffrey, C., Halliday, P., Wilmot-Dear, M. & Jones, S.W. (1977) Generic and sectional limits in Senecio (Compositae): I. Progress report. Kew Bulletin 32 (1): 47–67. https://doi.org/10.2307/4117259
  12. Montes, B. & Murray, M.G. (2018) Application of floral microcharacters to solving taxonomic problems in Argentinean species of the genus Senecio (Asteraceae, Senecioneae). Flora 244–245: 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2018.04.003
  13. Nordenstam, B. (1978) Taxonomic studies in the tribe Senecioneae (Compositae). Opera Botanica 44: 3–84.
  14. Nordenstam, B. (2007) Tribe Senecioneae. In: Kadereit, J.W. & Jeffrey, C. (Eds.) Kubitzki’s The families and Genera of Vascular Plants, vol. 8. Springer, Berlin, pp. 208–241.
  15. Pelser, P.B., Nordenstam, B., Kadereit, J.W. & Watson, L.E. (2007) An ITS phylogeny of tribe Senecioneae (Asteraceae) and a new delimitation of Senecio L. Taxon 56 (4): 1077–1104. https://doi.org/10.2307/25065905
  16. Pelser, P.B., Kennedy, A.H., Tepe, E.J., Shidler, J.B., Nordenstam, B., Kadereit, J.W. & Watson, L.E. (2010) Patterns and causes of incongruence between plastid and nuclear Senecioneae (Asteraceae) phylogenies. American Journal of Botany 97: 856–873. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.0900287
  17. Philippi, R.A. (1858) Plantarum novarum Chilensium Centuria quarta. Linnaea 1–47.
  18. Philippi, R.A. (1894) Plantas nuevas chilenas de las familias que corresponden al tomo IV de la obra de Gay (continuacion). Anales de la Universidad de Chile 88: 245–292. https://doi.org/10.5354/0717-8883.1894.21721
  19. Riva, A., Pozner, R.E. & Freire, S.E. (2009) Micromorphological characters supporting the removal of Senecio series Otopteri from Senecio (Asteraceae, Senecioneae). Darwiniana 47: 327–334.
  20. Robinson, H. (1974) Studies in the Senecioneae (Asteraceae). VI. The genus Arnoglossum. Phytologia 28: 294–295.
  21. Robinson, H. & Brettell, R.D. (1973a) Studies in the Senecioneae (Compositae). I. A new genus, Pittocaulon. Phytologia 26: 451–453.
  22. Robinson, H. & Brettell, R.D. (1973b) Studies in the Senecioneae (Compositae). II. A new genus, Nelsonianthus. Phytologia 27: 53–54.
  23. Robinson, H. & Brettell, R.D. (1973c) Studies in the Senecioneae (Compositae). III. The genus Psacalium. Phytologia 27: 254–264.
  24. Rodríguez, R., Marticorena, C., Alarcón, D., Baeza, C., Cavieres, L., Finot, V.L., Fuentes, N., Kiessling, A., Mihoc, M., Pauchard, A., Ruiz, E., Sanchez, P. & Marticorena, A. (2018) Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de Chile. Gayana Botánica 75 (1): 1–430. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0717-66432018000100001
  25. Salomón, L., Hernández, M.P., Giuliano, D.A. & Freire, S.E. (2016) Floral microcharacters in South American species of Senecio s.str. (Asteraceae) with considerations on the circumscription of this genus. Phytotaxa 244 (1): 1–25. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.244.1.1
  26. Santos Freitas, F. (2016) Filogenia molecular e revisão taxonômica de Senecio Sect. Adamantina Cabrera, Sect. Bahiana D.J.N. Hind e Sect. Paranaia (Asteraceae—Senecioneae). Doctoral thesis, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Brazil.
  27. Thiers, B. (2025 [continuously updated]) Index Herbariorum: a global directory of public herbaria and associated staff. New York Garden’s Virtual Herbarium. Available from: http://https://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ (accessed 1 December 2025)
  28. Weddell, H.A. (1856) Chloris andina, vol. 1 (3). P. Bertrand, Paris, pp. 57–88.
  29. Zuloaga, F.O., Belgrano, M.J. & Zanotti, C.A. (2019, continuously updated) Actualización del catálogo de las plantas vasculares del cono sur. Darwiniana, n.s. 7 (2): 208–278. https://doi.org/10.14522/darwiniana.2019.72.861

How to Cite

Freire, S.E., Pozner, R., Mendoza, F.T. & Urtubey, E. (2026) Pelseria, a new genus of Asteraceae—Senecioneae segregated from Senecio in southern South America. Phytotaxa 739 (1): 94–102. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.739.1.6