GROUNDSEL IQI 



mm. long-. Honey rises in the tube as far as the throat, and can be 

 readily obtained by short-lipped insects. The flowerheads are small, 

 4 mm. across, and are not generally rayed, so that they are not con- 

 spicuous, and few insects save Syritta, Pyrocoris, Halictus, Hcriades, 

 visit it. The plant is frequently self-pollinated. Hairs at the tip of 

 the style sweep out the pollen grains, and they lie on the edge of the 

 stigmas and fall on the inner surface when they separate. The plant is 

 self-fertile. But fruit produced by cross-pollination has been shown 

 by Bateson to be more vigorous than that derived from self-fertile 

 plants. 



The fruit is provided with pappus, and adapted for wind dispersal. 

 The achenes have short, closely-appressed hairs which secrete runners. 

 It is largely a sand-loving plant, and addicted chiefly to a sand soil. 



There are two minute fungi which are to be found upon it, 

 Thielavia basicola and Coleosporium senccionis. The plant is galled 

 by Urophora macrura. The other stage of the second fungus grows 

 on fir trees. A beetle, Longitarsus holsaticus\ 6 Hymenoptera, 

 Colletcs fodiens, C. daviesana, Andrena tridentata, A, denticulately 

 Nomada solidaginis, N. jacobaea\ 4 Lepidoptera, Silver Y-Moth 

 (Plusia iota), P. pulchrina, Lime Speck (Eupithecia centureata), 

 Wormwood Pug (/f. absynthiata)\ a Heteropterous insect, LO/>HS 

 snlcatus; and two flies, Tit erica Westermanni and Chromatomyia 

 albiceps, visit it. 



Senecio, Pliny, is from senex, Latin for an old man, from its white 

 pappus; and the second name (Latin) refers to its ubiquity. 



Groundsel is called Bird Seed, Chickenweed, Chinchone, Grinning 

 Swallow, Grinsel, Groundsel, Grunsel, Grunclsel, Grunnishule, Sen c ion, 

 Simson, Swichen. Grinning Swallow is a corruption of groundsel or 

 grunswelge in Scotland, gruncliewally, grundiewallow. 



The Scottish Highlanders use it for the evil eye. Groundsel was 

 said to have been the Virgin's bed. The plant has been used as a 

 charm against ague. In the fifteenth century it was cultivated, and 

 used for various complaints. 



ESSENTIAL SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: 



165. Senecio vulgaris. Stem erect, branched, glabrous or downy, 

 leaves half-clasping, lobed, dentate, not viscid, flowerheads yellow, in 

 drooping heads, rayless, outer phyllaries short, with black points. 



