Groundsel, Heath

Information on Heath Groundsel

Common Name: Heath Groundsel
Scientific Name: Senecio sylvaticus
Irish Name: Grúnlas mór
Family Group: Asteraceae
Distribution: View Map (Courtesy of the BSBI)
Flowering Period


Click for list of all flowering by month
Heath Groundsel could sometimes be confused with:

Groundsel, Sticky, Groundsel,

Heath Groundsel is considerably taller than Groundsel attaining a height of 70cm. It carries flower-heads 5mm across which are tight, conical bundles of disc florets with short, curling ray florets. The flower-heads are long-stalked. The bracts are not black-tipped. The flower-heads are in loose clusters on robust, upright, erect stems. Look for stickily hairy, conical heads in Heath Groundsel and cylindrical heads in Groundsel. The leaves are deeply pinnate, longer-lobed than Groundsel. This plant grows in sandy soils, bogs and on disturbed ground. It is a native annual, infrequent, and scattered across Ireland. It belongs to the Daisy family. 

I first found this plant and photographed it at Tullycanna, Co Wexford in 2012. 

If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre

Groundsel, Heath
Groundsel, Heath
Groundsel, Heath
Groundsel, Heath