On our acid sandy soil in Cheshire we should see a lot of this plant and we do but only in some years which is strange. It is a bit like a tall version of common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) without the glossy leaves but the test I use is to try to flex the stem. It is very stiff. Senecio sylvaticus is a common plant in England, Wales and southern Scotland but less common in far northern Scotland and western Ireland.

LHS: Breckland 18th May 2005 RHS: Porthdinllain, Lleyn peninsula 25th July 2005

Added on 28th November 2005, updated 6th February 2012