common groundsel plant with green, irregular lobes. The plant in the photo is approximately 6 inches tall.

Common groundsel – Senecio vulgaris

Senecio vulgaris L.

Asteraceae (Aster family)

MI Status

Non-native

Life cycle

Summer or winter annual capable
of multiple generations per year.

Leaves

Alternate, sparsely hairy to smooth with variable leaf shape. Young leaf
margins may be smooth to slightly wavy; older leaves have deep, irregular lobes and
coarsely toothed margins. Lower leaves have short stalks; upper leaves are stalkless.

Stems

Smooth, erect and multiple-branched. Usually no taller than 12 inches.

Flowers and fruit

Numerous yellow, cylinder- to cone-shaped flower heads are produced in clusters at the stem ends. The seed is enclosed in a single-seeded, wind-disseminated fruit that forms in a white, approximately 0.5-inch-wide puffball collection.

Reproduction

Seeds.

Common groundsel plant with green irregular lobes. The plant is about 6 inches tall.
Common groundsel plant
Common groundsel flower head composed of several yellow disk flowers.
Common groundsel flower head
A close up photo of a common groundsel mature seedhead. It is a pappus consisting of soft bristles that can be become detached and dispersed by wind.
Common groundsel mature seedhead
Common groundsel seedling with slender club-shaped cotyledons.
Common groundsel seedling

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Tag List
  • annuals,
  • msu plant & pest diagnostics,
  • weed

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