Variable Groundsel

Variable Groundsel photos

Family: Daisy (Asteraceae syn. Compositae)

Scientific Name:

Senecio pinnatifolius (syn. Senecio lautus in part)

Plant of Variable Groundsel (var. lanceolatus)
Photo: A J Brown

Status:

Australian native.

Plant Description:

Annual or perennial daisy to 2 m tall and tending to be sprawling or prostrate in habit. Leaves without hairs, often somewhat succulent in coastal varieties (particularly var. maritimus) but of variable shape up to 12 cm long, and variously divided with no lobes or up to eight lobes or segments per side.

Flowers yellow with 8-13 ‘ray’ florets and 40-90 ‘disk’ florets. Leafy bracts (phyllaries) surrounding the composite flower-head mostly 13 in number with their apices black or purple pigmented.

Habitat:

Grows in dry hills under forest, woodland and scrubland. In coastal environments, Variable Groundsel often grows on cliffs, in rocky crevices and on sand dunes.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Western, Gippsland, Central and Northern	S0, S1	W0, W1, W2

Comments:

This very variable species currently has eight described varieties, of which three occur in coastal environments and are tolerant of salt-spray. Variety pinnatifolius in eastern Victoria generally, but not always, has deeply divided leaves with very narrow segments. Variety lanceolatus from across southern Victoria often has somewhat undivided but strongly toothed lance-shaped leaves and var. maritimus from along the western Victoria coast has divided or undivided, oblong and somewhat fleshy leaves.

Variable Groundsel Photos

Flowers of Variable Groundsel (var. lanceolatus) Photo: A J Brown	Leaves of Variable Groundsel (var. lanceolatus) Photo: A J Brown
Population of Variable Groundsel (var. maritimus) Photo: A J Brown	Divided leaves of Variable Groundsel (var. maritimus) Photo: A J Brown
Flowers buds of Variable Groundsel (var. maritimus) Photo: A J Brown	Developing seeds of Variable Groundsel (var. maritimus) Photo: A J Brown
Flower buds of Variable Groundsel (var. lanceolatus) Photo: A J Brown	Undivided leaves of Variable Groundsel (var. maritimus) Photo: A J Brown

Page top