Narrow-leaved Ragwort is one of several Ragworts which bears flowers that have bright yellow ray florets and darker golden disc florets. In this species, the ray florets are well separated, only having between seven and fifteen in each head. Behind each flowerhead (10-25mm across) are bracts which are tipped with black. The flowerheads are borne in loose clusters and bloom from June to October. The sessile leaves, as the common name suggests, are extremely narrow, quite long and almost entirely without teeth. This is an introduced perennial belonging to the Asteraceae family. It can grow to a height of 80cm, with woody stems. Its distribution is quite sparse, occuring mainly at ports such as Belfast, Dublin, Waterford, Cork and Waterford.
I first saw this species at one of Paul Green’s excellent workshops for the National Biodiversity Data Centre. I photographed it there and later in New Ross, Co Wexford where it was growing on waste ground close to the river.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
