Stats

Lifespan: 2-5 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Northern Eurasia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

A bright-flowered member of the daisy family native to Eurasia and widely naturalised worldwide, recognised by its flat-topped clusters of golden-yellow flowers. Despite attracting hundreds of pollinator species, the whole plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are cumulative and toxic to horses and livestock.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Jacobaea
Species: Jacobaea vulgaris