Jacobaea vulgaris

Species

Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) is a short-lived, perennial herb that is native to Europe and western Asia. It was introduced to New Zealand as a contaminant of pasture seed and was first recorded in the wild (naturalised) in 1894. The plant forms a rosette of deeply divided leaves in its first year, followed by upright flowering stems that typically grow up to about 1 metre tall. It flowers from October to May, producing clusters of bright yellow, daisy-like flower heads, which develop into seeds topped with a tuft of fine hairs. It tolerates frost, drought, grazing and a wide range of soil types. It reproduces by seed and vegetatively from the crown and root fragments. Seeds are dispersed by wind, water, animals and human activities. Root fragments can produce new plants after cultivation or other disturbance. All parts of the plant contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids and are poisonous to livestock and people if consumed.

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