Botanical name: Senecio jacobaea
Family: Asteraceae
Aliases: cankerweed, staggerwort, tansy ragwort
General Information
Ragwort can be a problem on fine lawns but is more common on low maintenance and neglected lawns.
Ragwort, which is a biennial weed is native to the UK. This weed produces tough stems with a purple base, as seen in the photo.
Leaf: Ragwort leaves have jagged lobes which are divided into segments.
Flower: The yellow flowers can be seen from June to October as they form dense clusters on branched stalks.
Common ragwort images (click image to enlarge)
Preferred Habitat: Ragwort will happily grow in most types of soil conditions.
Control: A well maintained lawn that is regularly mown is the best way of keeping ragwort off you lawn. If it does become a problem hand weed individual plants if they are few in number (make sure gloves are worn when handling this weed). For a more widespread problem use a selective weed killer containing 2,4-D or MCPA. It is very important to treat Ragwort at the rosette stage for the most effective control. A further application 6 weeks later will be needed.