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First introduced from Italy into Oxford botanic gardens, this first started to appear on the walls outside the garden near the Bodleian Library in 1794. It didn't spread far at first, still being recorded from only one or two sites at the end of the 19th century but during the 20th century it spread along railway lines and found a liking for waste places and bombed sites after WW2. Now I would expect to find it almost anywhere in England although it has yet to cover all Ireland and Scotland.
When I first started botanising I wasn't at all sure of the difference between this plant and the native Senecio jacobaea (Common Ragwort) but then the big difference dawned - they start flowering at totally different times of the year. You can find S. squalidus beginning to flower even in March but S jacobaea is a plant of high summer. They do actually have quite different habits too with S. squalidus having larger more attractive flowers and a spreading habit where S. jacobaea is a field plant with flowers at the top of a strong, tall stem.
Great Orme, 23rd August 2004
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Added on November 8th 2004, amended on February 3rd 2005