Senecio vernalisWaldst. & Kit. Eastern Groundsel

Senecio vernalisWaldst. & Kit. - Eastern Groundsel

Scientific Description:

Erect annual, stems (4−)10−40(−70) cm. Stems and leaves usually arachnoid, becoming glabrescent with age. Basal leaves ovate to oblong, usually pinnatifid, often with dentate to pinnatifid lobes, petiolate; middle and upper cauline similar but amplexicaul. Capitula radiate, 1,5−2.5 cm broad, borne in a lax corymb. Involucre ± cup-shaped; phyllaries 3−8 mm, lanceolate, glabrous, often blacktipped. Calycular bracts 1.5−2.5 mm, linear, usually black-tipped. Ligules 5−9(−13), yellow, 5−10(−12) mm. Achenes 1.5−3 mm, adpressed-hairy. Pappus 4−7 mm, white.

 

Flowering time: (February−) March−August.

Habitat: Sandy and waste places, fields, rocky slopes, s.l.−3000 m.

 

Reference:
Matthews VA (1975). Senecio vernalis Waldst. & Kit., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 5: 166.

Public Description:

Senecio vernalis, known as “Eastern groundsel”, is distributed in West Asia, Caucasus, Central Asia, Central and East Europe. It is an annual plant with yellow flowers, and grows up to 40 cm in length. It blooms between March and August and is found in sandy and waste places, fields and rocky slopes. Eastern groundsel is toxic for cows and horses. Also It contains “pyrrolizidin alkaloide” which can damage the liver and cause cancer.

 

References:

Anonymous (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senecio_vernalis, Accessed date: 22.01.2016.

Budak Ü (2012). Senecio L. In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 199–201.