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Sticky Groundsel

Sticky Groundsel

Senecio viscosus

Identify the Sticky Groundsel from a photo and log your finds with Florapass.

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How common: Very common

Alien species

Sticky Groundsel is a one-year plant in the daisy family with small yellow, daisy-like flower heads and a very sticky feel. It thrives on open, disturbed, sandy places such as railways, roadsides and waste ground, and is widespread in much of Europe and introduced elsewhere. The whole plant often looks dusty because grit sticks to it.

Did you know?

  • Its sticky hairs catch dust and sand so the plant often looks dirty.
  • When crushed it has a strong, unpleasant smell.

About the species

Identification

Upright annual, 20–50 cm. Stem fairly thick, unbranched or branching near the top, covered in sticky hairs so bits of grit often cling to it. Lower leaves have short stalks; upper leaves sit on the stem and do not clasp it. Leaves are fairly thick with regular paired side-lobes and toothed edges. Flower heads are small (6–10 mm) in a loose cluster; about a dozen bright yellow narrow outer “petals” that later curl in. The green scales under each head are narrow and often black-tipped, with a few tiny extra ones below. Seeds have a white silky tuft for wind spread. Similar: common groundsel is not sticky and usually lacks obvious yellow outer petals; ragwort is much taller with many larger heads. Flowers in Finland from July to October.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

rock, yards and roadsides, shore

Flowering

Jul–Oct

About the habitat

Prefers warm, dry, sandy or gravelly ground and open, disturbed places. Common along railways, roadsides, in sand pits, waste ground, sandy shores, rocky spots and fields. It dislikes heavy clay and rich, humus soils. Common in southern Finland, becoming rarer toward the north.

Sources

Photo: Robert Flogaus-Faust, CC BY 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Senecio viscosus RF.jpg

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki versot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39861

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Versot: 1- ja 2-vuotiset rikkakasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39861

Text: Pinkka: Maatalouslajintuntemus - Asteraceae, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39861

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki leviäimet, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39861

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahmavillakko

See also