Hybridises with : Marsh Ragwort

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

No relation to : Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), Flatspine Burr-Ragweed, (Ambrosia acanthicarpa) or Perennial Ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya).

Not that there are photos of this feature (yet), but on Common Ragwort the seeds of the ray florets differ slightly from those seeds of the disc florets; on the former the seeds are hairless whilst on the latter they are hairy.

Common Ragwort is poisonous to horses but if any horse occupying the field also has grass or hay to eat, then the horses wont try to eat the Ragwort, it doesn't taste a nice as grass. However, if there is no hay or grass to eat then horses will eat Ragwort and probably be very sick or die.

Cinnabar Moth caterpillars with their striking orange and black alternate stripes thrive on Ragwort flowers and are immune to its poison. Your Author has been unable to find whether they only eat Common Ragwort, or other Ragworts too. It is quite likely that they derive their orange stripes from the yellow compound(s) within Ragwort flowers. But with their striking alternate black stripes it does not look like they are trying to conceal themselves on Ragwort flowers. However, their unpleasant taste and poisonous nature probably deters many otherwise potential consumers of the Cinnabar Moth caterpillars. These caterpillars gather on Ragworts in large numbers eating the plant sometimes until there is nothing of it. They assimilate the toxins within their bodies and so become unpalatable to any predators, which then avoid them (they recognise them by their warning black and yellow/orange stripes).

These caterpillars will eat any Ragwort, but they do seem to prefer Common Ragwort, possibly because that usually occurs in large gatherings.

Common Ragwort grows in dry, sandy or grassy places and dunes. Also on walls and waste ground.

Common Ragwort contains several toxic pyrrolidizine alkaloids, including Jacobine, Jacoline and Jaconine; the last one unusually incorporating an atom of chlorine. It is thus a naturally occurring organochloride. The latter is particularly toxic. Jaconine is most closely related to Jacoline, where a hydroxyl group is replaced by a chlorine atom. Jacobine, it will be noticed, contains a strained three-membered ring containing an oxygen atom. They are very similar to Senecionine, which it also contains. Other pyrrolozidine alkaloids found within Common Ragwort include Integerrimine, Seneciphylline, Jacozine and Erucifoline.

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