Senecio viscosus aka Sticky Groundsel

Senecio viscosus is an annual in the daisy family, Asteraceae. Its common names include sticky groundsel and ashwort. Its native range runs from Europe to the Caucasus. Records also place it in Turkey, Armenia, and Georgia. It grows in temperate regions. The RHS does not class it as native to Britain or Ireland. Each plant completes its life cycle within one year.

Plants reach about 1.3 feet (0.4 metres) in height. The available evidence gives no clear width for mature plants. This species has an unpleasant smell. Its wild sites include dry ditch banks and waste ground. It also grows beside rail tracks and on railway banks. Seashores form another part of its habitat. These sites offer clues to its needs in a garden bed.

Flowers appear from July through September. Each flower has both male and female organs. Bees and flies pollinate the flowers, and plants are self-fertile. Seeds ripen during August and September, while flowering may still continue. For propagation, sow seed where the plants will grow in spring. The sources give no species-level details on flower colour or leaf shape. They also give no clear description of the fruit.

Grow this plant in an open site without shade. It accepts sandy, loamy, or clay soil with good drainage. Its soil can be mildly acid, neutral, or mildly alkaline. It prefers dry to moist ground rather than poorly drained soil. The plant can also cope with exposure near the sea. Plants For A Future lists USDA hardiness zones 5–9. It includes cultivated beds among the places this plant can grow.

This is not a food plant; no edible uses are recorded. All parts contain poisons that can harm humans and many mammals. The toxins damage the liver, and their effects can build over time. Some birds eat its leaves and seeds. Rabbits may also eat it without clear signs of harm. That does not make it safe for people or other animals. The leaves have recorded medicinal uses for gas and inducing vomiting. Those records do not establish that home use is safe. No other uses are recorded in the supplied evidence.