Common Groundsel

Senecio vulgaris

This low, inconsipicuous weed produces small flowerheads having a cylindrical light green involucre culminating in short, tightly-packed yellow disk florets.  It looks like a bud about to open, but there are no ray florets and the flower goes from this 'bud' stage directly to producing seed with a white pappus, which form spheres about 3/4 inch in diameter before being dispersed by the wind.   Leaves are pinnatified (having deep opposite lobes) at the base of the plant (small ones barely visible in the photo at left).

Under 1 foot, sun or partial sun.

Spring-Autumn (May-October).

Common Groundsel, 22 May 2020.