Ragwort Common

Wild Flowers Of Strathclyde Park
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	Common Ragwort *Senecio jacobaea* of the Daisy family a biennial or perenniall 80 -150 cm high blooms June - November likes cultivated and waste ground, meadows, roadsides can be seen throughout the Park. This was by the road past the Pavilion.

	This plant was once used in a treatment for the 'staggers', a disease suffered by horses. This practice was commemorated in the plant's name, Jacobaea, Latin for James, the patron saint of horses. In Scotland the plant is called "Stinking Billy" since the bruised plant gives off an unpleasant odour. "Billy" is said to be a reference to William, the Duke of Cumberland, who defeated Bonny Prince Charlie at the battle of Culloden.