Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Senecio jacobaea

Other names

Ragwort

Family

Asteraceae

Flowering season

June to November

English distribution

It is found throughout the country.

See the BSBI distribution map for Common Ragwort

Habitat

It grows in grassland, dunes, scrub, open woodland and

most types of waste ground.

Description

Common Ragwort is a native, biennial or perennial,

yellow herb, growing up to 1.5m.

Flowerheads are yellow, up to 25mm acoss and in

flat-topped clusters.

The flowerheads contain both disc and ray florets.

There are up to 15 ray florets.

The inner bracts are dark tipped.

Fruits are a pappus.

The basal leaves are in a rosette and usually die off

before flowering.

The stem leaves are very variable and irregularly lobed.

The lower stem leaves are stalked and the upper stem

leaves clasp the stem.

Stems are furrowed, hairless or cottony and branched

above the middle.

The leaves are eated by the caterpillars of the Cinnabar

moth.

Common Ragwort is generally considered to be toxic

to horses.