Heath Groundsel

Senecio sylvaticus

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.

Plant Data

Order:

Asterales

Family:

Asteraceae (Daisy)

Type:

Flower

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flower:

Yellow, no petals

The yellow flowerheads are stalked, up to 5mm wide. The ray florets curl backwards, usually unlike those of the similar-looking shorter plant, Common Groundsel. The bracts are narrow and purple-tipped. Heath Groundsel flowerheads are more conical than those of Common Groundsel.

Fruit:

Ridged, brown and cylindrical achene with a pappus, up to 1 inch long.

Leaves:

An annual flower with narrowly lanceolate leaves and more deeply and irregular lobes than Common Groundsel. The leaves are alternate and short-stalked, however the upper leaves are stalkless. The leaf lobes are sparsely toothed and have entire margins. Heath Groundsel is a stickily downy plant.

Maximum Size:

75 centimetres tall

Aroma:

Smells slightly foetid.

Other Names:

Mountain Common Groundsel, Mountain Groundsel, Wood Groundsel, Woodland Ragwort.

Frequency (UK):

Occasionally seen

Habitats:

Farmland, heathland, meadows, roadsides, sea cliffs, wasteland, woodland.