4. Senecio sect. Flexicaules C. Jeffrey & Y. L. Chen, Kew Bull. 39: 417. 1984.
曲茎千里光组 qu jing qian li guang zu
Herbs, perennial, decumbent or scandent, with woody rhizomes and leafy stems. Leaves deltoid, lanceolate or pinnately or lyrate-pinnately lobed, basally often auriculate. Capitula radiate, ascending. Anthers auriculate or shortly caudate, tails to 0.25 × as long as antheropodia; antheropodia rather elongated, basally slightly expanded. Achene epidermal cells papillose, cuticle thin; mechanical tissue in 5 or 6 distant tracts, bi-allantoid in cross section.
At least five species: E and S Africa, C and S Asia east to Japan and Philippines; four species (three endemic) in China.
One of us (Nordenstam) recognizes this section as generically distinct from Senecio.