Groundsel
Small weed flowering almost all year; it gives little nectar and pollen and is worth knowing because it contains liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
- Nectar
- Low
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Pollen colour
- Height
- 0.1-0.4 m
- Life cycle
- Annual
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Groundsel is a small annual weed that flowers almost all year round in gardens, fields and waste ground. Its flower heads consist only of tubular florets; it gives little nectar and little pollen. Bees hardly visit it when better sources are available.
Flowering
In mild regions it can be found in flower almost every month, midwinter included; so on mild days in late winter it can be a small source for bees.
Honey and pollen
It gives no separate honey. The pollen loads are yellowish.
Warning
The plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA), which are harmful to the liver. High PA levels have been measured in honey from areas dominated by Jacobaea vulgaris (formerly Senecio jacobaea), from the same group. Because groundsel is rarely visited, its risk in practice is low.
Note for the beekeeper
No special precautions are needed for this plant around the hives; however, where PA-containing plants cover large areas, having the honey analysed is recommended.