Horticulture/Senecio vulgaris

Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) is a cosmopolitan (world-wide) annual plant in the family ../Asteraceae/. It is a common weed of agricultural fields, gardens, and other areas of exposed and regularly disturbed ground.

There are several other species of Groundsel, all of which are typically weedy but with usually more attractive flowers in as much as they have ray florets ("petals") around the margin of the flower head like most other members of the Daisy family.



Description
Extremely variable in all its parts, the deeply toothed leaves and slightly fleshy stems topped with rayless, yellow flower heads (capitula) and fluffy white seed heads are very familiar to gardeners everywhere.

Ecology
This plant can grow from seed to seeding in only a few weeks and do so in all types of soils, damp or dry. The windblown seeds make its presence in the garden almost inevitable.

Uses
A good nectar source in the cold seasons.