The generic concept of the genus Senecio has been subject to varied interpretations. This is predominantly due to its cosmopolitan distribution. A consequence is that Senecio now includes species which exhibit a range of character variation that overlaps or even exceeds the combined ranges of species currently referred to several other genera. This broad concept of Senecio results in an unwieldy and patently paraphyletic genus. An attempt to elucidate the generic concept of Senecio began with a study of mostly southern African taxa, but included taxa from other continents. This study resulted in the recognition of a suite of 6 micromorphological characters being chosen for the characterization of the generic concept of Senecio. These 6 generic characters have subsequently been tested on a large world-wide sample of Senecio s. lat., and other members of the Senecioneae. The result being that numerous members of Senecio have been recommended for exclusion and a more natural assemblage of Senecio s. str. sensu Vincent has been formed. The inclusion of molecular data (nrDNA of the ITS region) to facilitate the elucidation of the generic concept of Senecio is also presented and discussed.

Key words: Asteraceae, generic concept, Senecio, Senecioneae