How odd that another brief stroll should , this time without a hangover , should present me with what is now a commonplace weed in Britain that has a very exotic origin. Oxford Ragwort (Senecio squalidus) is a threat to any small grazing animal and non-too kind to humans . Immature animals can die from consuming the plant and humans can have a nasty reaction to contact on account of the toxins it contains.The toxic priciple is alkaloid and tends to poison by causing the liver to fix too much copper in the host.The main alkaloids are the wonderfully named Jacobine, Jacodine and Jaconine.Inclusion in fermenting silage is a particular problem.

http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...si&img=1862

In folklore Fairies are said to fly on the ragwort twigs, though this is mainly confined to folktales in Scotland and Ireland.

Senecio squalidus is actually of hybrid origin. Its parents are two other species of Ragwort, Senecio aethnensis and Senecio chrysanthemifolius which are both presently only found on Sicily , on the slopes of Mt Etna and Vesuvius in Campagnia . It appears that the occur at different heights on the mountain and in between these points on the mountain the hybrid occurs. Now a strange thing has happened , some suggest diffusion of seedlings due to volcanic eruption (quite feasible) others point to the Botanic Gardens at Oxford.

http://www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk/

In the early 1700's the plant was brought to the Gardens as an exotic, the later spread of railways on gravel beds proved an ideal medium for the propogation of the species.

What is the best method of control ? The caterpillar of the Cinnabar Moth.which is ironic because these fellows have enjoyed a bumper year.

Bees adore Ragworts of all types, so harking back to some older treads about toxic honey I wonder if this plant was implicated in some of the poisonings mentioned regarding Antony's troops in particular?