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Senecio vernalis

Eastern groundsel

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) I, Hugo.arg

Short Description

The eastern groundsel can grow to a height of half a metre.

The leaves are cleft with coarsely and curly toothed segments.

The stem and leaves are initially cobwebby-like or woolly haired, later they become glabrous.

The flower-heads are yellow.

The small, nut-like fruits have a white ring of hairs.

Features

Eastern groundsel

Senecio vernalis

  • poisonous

  • coarsely toothed leaves

Similar species

Common ragwort

Senecio jacobaea
The leaf lobes of the common ragwort are not or barely toothed.

Water ragwort

Senecio aquaticus
The lower leaves of the water ragwort are undivided or have a large terminal section.
Habitus (CC BY-SA 4.0) Zeynel Cebeci

In the city

The eastern groundsel grows in fields, clover fields, fallow land and rubble patches as well as along paths. It prefers moderately dry, mostly calcareous, also saline soils. It occurs scattered in lowlands, especially in the north and north-east of Germany.

Fun Facts

  • The flowering period is from May to November.

  • The flowers are pollinated by insects. The seeds are spread by the wind.

  • The eastern groundsel can be attacked by the rust fungus.

  • It is an annual plant, i.e. it flowers for only one summer and dies after the seeds have ripened.

  • Endangerment level Germany: not evaluated

  • The eastern groundsel originates from warm sand steppes in southern Eastern Europe and the Near East. It came to Germany around 1850 and is thus a non-native plant (neophyte).

  • All parts of the plant are poisonous. The poison can damage the liver and cause cancer. The symptoms of poisoning can even still occur through cow's milk.

Habitus (CC BY-SA 2.5) Darkone

Sources

Habitus, I, Hugo.arg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Senecio_vernalis001.JPG

Habitus, Zeynel Cebeci, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Senecio_vernalis_-_Eastern_groundsel_-_Kanaryaotu_01.jpg

Habitus, Darkone, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fr%C3%BChlings-Greiskraut_(Senecio_vernalis)_2.jpg

Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=5514& (Accessed: 03.09.2018).

Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.

Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.

Seitz, B., Ristow, M., Meißner, J., Machatzi, B. & Sukopp, H. (2018) Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der etablierten Farn- und Blütenpflanzen von Berlin. : Der Landesbeauftragte für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege / Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt, Klima und Verkehr (eds.) Rote Listen der gefährdeten Pflanzen, Pilze und Tiere von Berlin, URL: https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/natur-und-gruen/naturschutz/artenschutz/artenlisten-rote-listen/farn-und-bluetenpflanzen/ (Accessed: 26.03.2021).

Page „Frühlings-Greiskraut“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 23.03.2018, 17:53 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fr%C3%BChlings-Greiskraut&oldid=175316929 (Accessed: 03.09.2018).