Common Ragwort, Senecio Jacobaea

Ragwort is a weed and is widespread across the UK. They are a native species whose natural habitat is normally sand dunes; but Ragwort is particularly prevalent on shallow soils and overgrazed grasslands. Therefore horse pastures, roadsides, rubbish tips and railways are vulnerable to infestation. Ragwort contains toxins which are extremely hazardous to livestock this toxin causes irreversible liver damage which is responsible for thousands of horse deaths each year.

This threat to livestock is so great that Ragwort has been specified in the Weeds Act 1959 and more recently the Ragwort Control Act 2004. This legislation seeks to control Ragwort where there is a threat to animal’s health and welfare only; as this native species supports a large array of species with at least 30 insect species (and 14 fungi species) which are entirely reliant on Ragwort, and about a third of the insects are classified scarce or rare. Ragwort is also a critically important nectar source for hundreds of species of butterflies, bees, moths, flies and other invertebrates.

Appearance

Flowers
Bright yellow on green stems reaching up to 1.5m in height.

Leaves
During the first years following germination the plant takes the form of a low growing rosette of leaves with no flowers. Once at a sufficient size, the rosette will develop into a fully mature flowering plant that will die after completing the flowering cycle.

Seeds
Extremely high seed densities; seeds buried deeper than 4cm in soil can remain viable for 16 years or around 4 years for seeds in higher levels of soil; seeds can be dispersed in water and large distances on the wind.

Common Ragwort control and treatment

SES invasive species team have experience employing various site specific techniques with regards to time scales, costs and the sites ecological needs . Eradication methods may include combinations of specialist herbicidal treatment and removal by hand or by mechanical means.