Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Senecio madagascariensis
Common name
Fireweed
Family
Asteraceae
Where found
Suburban bushland, woodland, grassy areas, roadsides, disturbed sites, and coastal environs. Widespread. No records from Kosciuszko National Park. Occasional on the tablelands and Western Slopes. Doubtfully naturalised in the ACT.
Sightings in the ACT should be reported to Canberra Connect phone 132281 or [email protected] giving the exact location and a photo if possible, and saying what you have done. You can also download the Canberra Nature Map app from http://canberranaturemap.org/ and record a sighting on your phone. This will be forwarded to the appropriate departmental officers.
Notes
Introduced annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial herb, or shrub, to 0.7 m tall. Stems hairless or sparsely hairy. Leaves alternating up the stems, 2-12 cm long, 3-25 mm wide, hairless to sparsely hairy, margins entire to toothed, or dissected and toothed with 1 or 2 segments per side. Uppermost leaves sometimes with toothed basal lobes. Flower heads with 12-15 yellow ‘petals’ each 5-14 mm long, and yellow centres 3-5 mm in diameter. Flower heads behind the 'petals' narrow bell-shaped, surrounded by 19-21 appressed bracts. Flower heads in loose clusters of 2-20 long stalked flower heads. Flowers most of the year.
A Weed of National Significance. General Biosecurity Duty with additional restrictions all NSW. Pest plant ACT. Noxious weed Vic.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Senecio~madagascariensis (accessed 6 February, 2021)
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