Groundsel
Groundsel (
Senecio vulgaris) is a cosmopolitan (world-wide)
annual weed of cultivation in the Family
Asteraceae. It is rarely found away from
gardens or other areas of regularly disturbed ground. Extremely variable in all it's 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. This plant can grow from
seed to seeding in only a few weeks and do so in all types of soils, damp or dry.
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.