Senecio pattersonensis is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names Mono ragwort.[1] and Mount Patterson senecio.[2] [3]
It is endemic to eastern California in Mono County, in a small area of the Eastern High Sierra Nevada peaks at elevations of 3000m-3700mm (10,000feet-12,100feetm).[1] [4] It grows in rocky high mountain habitat in an alpine climate, such as talus and fellfields.[1]
It is named for Mount Patterson, the highest peak in the rugged Sweetwater Mountains subrange of the Sierra Nevada, in Mono County.[5]
Senecio pattersonensis is a small perennial herb producing one to three stems from a rhizome, the plant generally not exceeding ten centimeters in height.
The herbage is hairless and green to red in color. The leaves are thick and often fleshy, measuring 2 to 4 centimeters long. They are narrow and linear or lance-shaped, sometimes with wavy edges or divisions into lobes.
The inflorescence bears one to four flower heads containing yellow disc florets and usually 8 ray florets measuring one half to one centimeter in length. It blooms from July to August.