South african ragwort

Senecio inaequidens, the narrow-leaved ragwort or South African ragwort, is a much-branched perennial or subshrubby herb of the family Asteraceae growing 20 to 60 cm tall, sometimes woody at the base. The slender stems bear numerous narrow, linear, slightly toothed leaves that clasp the stem. From late spring well into autumn it produces abundant bright yellow daisy-like flower heads, each with about a dozen ray florets surrounding a yellow disc, the involucral bracts typically tipped with black. The fruits are small achenes with a white pappus, dispersed readily by wind. Native to southern Africa, it has become an aggressive invasive weed across Europe, colonising roadsides, railways, waste ground and disturbed soils. The plant contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids and is poisonous to livestock and humans.