Senecio vulgaris L., Asteraceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: common groundsel, groundsel, old-man-in-the-Spring

French: sénecon vulgaire

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annuals, (10-) 20-50 (-60+) cm (taprooted). Herbage glabrous or sparsely and unevenly tomentose when young. Stems usually 1. Leaves evenly distributed; petiolate; blades ovate to oblanceolate, 2-10 x 0.5-2 (-4) cm, bases tapered, margins lobulate to dentate, ultimate margins often secondarily dentate to denticulate (distal leaves sessile). Heads 8-20 in loose, corymbiform arrays. Calyculi of 2-4(-6+) bractlets (prominent, black-tipped, lengths about 1/4 phyllaries). Phyllaries ± 21, 4-6 mm, tips usually green, sometimes black. Ray florets 0. Cypselae usually sparsely hairy, sometimes nearly glabrous"  (Flora of North America online).

Habitat/ecology:  In North America, "disturbed sites; 1-1000 m. Particularly abundant in southern areas of cool damp winters or northern areas of cool damp summers"  (Flora of North America online).  In New Zealand, "waste places, cultivated land, gardens, riverbeds and stony sites, from coastal areas to 700 m"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 277).  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  Medium altitude up to the timber line; low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0-500 m. Dry, arid areas, with long drought periods of 6-10 months, precipitations of 100-300 mm. are concentrated in winter; somewhat dry areas where the drought may last 3-5 months, precipitations of 400-800 mm. are concentrated in winter; humid areas, with almost constant rainfall, short dry periods are possible (generally not longer than 1 month). Fully exposed to the sun, level areas or slopes facing north; some shadow,s ome protection against direct sunlight, some shadow from vegetation, filtering about 20-40% of light"  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Canary Islands, northern Africa, Europe, Asia; naturalized elsewhere, exact native range obscure (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 557)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 557)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Morro El Verdugo	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 356) Voucher cited: Ewart III 178 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 356)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "Weed of disturbed sites".
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "Weed of disturbed sites".
Canada Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	probably introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)
Canada Canada	Canada (country)	probably introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Belov, Michail (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Honshu
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 190)
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 277)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Ching-I Peng, ed. (2011) Around villages, 2,000-2,500 m.
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	probably introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	probably introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	probably introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	probably introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2011)

Additional information:
Invasive species profile from the Global Invasive Species Database.
Photos and other information from Chileflora.
Weed identification guide from Virginia Tech.
Fact sheet from Oregon State University (PDF format).

Additional online information about Senecio vulgaris is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Senecio vulgaris as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Senecio vulgaris may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Belov, Michail. 2011. Chileflora (online resource).

Ching-I Peng, ed. 2011. Digital flora of Taiwan (online resource).

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 2011. Flora of North America North of Mexico (online edition).

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

National Herbarium of New South Wales. 2011. PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online. The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust Version 2.0. Online resource.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.