Common ragwort
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. January 2018.
Scientific name: Senecio vulgaris L.
Common name(s): common ragwort, old-man-in-the-Spring
Link(s): USDA PLANTS Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- growth habit
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- in flower, late July
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- leaf detail
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- flower detail
Description:
– annual
-Asteraceae (daisy) family
-can germinate in spring, summer, or fall
– toxic to many herbivores
-can survive outdoors in the winter
-leaves are
- distinctively lobed
- alternate
- lanceolate
- 3-6 inches
Habitat:
-cool moist climates
-full sun
-roadsides
-fields
Management:
-can have multiple generations per year
-do not let plants go to seed
-flowers can produce seeds after being hand weeded
Sources:
NC Cooperative Extension. “Senecio Vulgaris.” North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, North Carolina State University, plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/senecio-vulgaris/.