Description: Groundsel is normally unrayed i.e. its flower heads have no ligulate florets. This variety is distinguished by having small ligulate florets around the edge of the flower heads, and appears to have increased over the past century or so. There seems to be a link in its distribution both with railways and the coast. The rays or ligulate florets may have been acquired from Senecio viscosus (sticky groundsel) by interbreeding between the two species.

All names: Senecio vulgaris var. hibernicus Syme

Distribution Map from NBN: Senecio vulgaris var. hibernicus at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Senecio vulgaris var. hibernicus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.