Late bloomers

 Even though it is almost December, there are still some plants flowering.  Some are annuals such as Groundsel, which are growing and flowering probably from seed produced earlier in the year.  Others such as Dandelions and Broom are perennials and the mild weather has encouraged them to have another go at flowering. Weirdly, most of them seem to be yellow….

Groundsel

Groundsel

Groundsel is Senecio vulgaris – it is an annual and common (which is what the “vulgaris” implies – it is Latin for “of the common people” and  Senecio is pronounced “sen-neck-ee-oh”).  It can be seen flowering in the debris that accumulates at the edge of pavements e.g. by Newtonmore Primary School.  The flower does not appear to have petals, just a central portion (though in fact these are florets – little flowers- each of which can produce seed). 

There are more Senecio species which are bigger.  The most common is Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) which can soon take over fields.

Ragwort

Grazing animals avoid it but if it is cut, dried and mixed with hay, they can eat it and it affects their liver.  It is however a food source for insects such as the cinnabar moth. It is a biennial, which means that it takes 2 years to flower.  The first year, a seed grows a rosette of green leaves, and in the second year it grows a stem and yellow flowers.

Another Senecio is Sticky Groundsel (Senecio viscosus).  

Sticky Groundsel near Kingussie Railway Station

This is bigger than Groundsel and is covered in hairs which have a blob of liquid on the end which gives rise to the sticky feeling.  (This sort of hair is called a glandular hair.) 

Glandular hairs on Sticky Groundsel

I haven’t seen it in Newtonmore, but I have found it in Kingussie on building sites and near the railway station.  It seems to like disturbed ground.

The final kind of Senecio that I have seen locally is Heath Groundsel (Senecio sylvaticus).  It grows under the trees at one side of the road into Kingussie from Newtonmore.  Thanks go to Val Emmett for spotting it and pointing it out to me. It is taller than common Groundsel.

Heath Groundsel

Like all these Senecios, Heath Groundsel produces fluffy seeds that get carried away by the wind to grow elsewhere.

Heath Groundsel flowering and producing seedheads