ragwort

American  

[rag-wurt, -wawrt] / ˈrægˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

noun

1. any of various composite plants of the genus Senecio, as S. jacobaea, of the Old World, having yellow flowers and irregularly lobed leaves, or S. aureus golden ragwort, of North America, also having yellow flowers.

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ragwort British  

/ ˈræɡˌwɜːt /

noun

1. any of several plants of the genus Senecio , esp S. jacobaea of Europe, that have yellow daisy-like flowers: family Asteraceae (composites) See also groundsel

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Etymology

Origin of ragwort

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at rag ¹, wort ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ragwort

Once, while cycling to meet a friend at a pub, England spied 50 caterpillars on a ragwort plant.

From Science Magazine ● May 20, 2024

Along with members of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, which owns some adjacent land, Hamman and her colleagues plan to burn some of Noyes’ pastures later this year to help control tansy ragwort.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2023

A year after the deer were excluded, drifts of golden ragwort appeared in spring, followed by blue mistflower in late summer.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 14, 2021

By 2008, Knepp was suffused by weeds such as ragwort, whose vivid yellow flowers are great for pollinators but can kill livestock in the rare event that they are eaten in large amounts.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 25, 2020

"We have seaside goldenrod and wild asters and woolly ragwort."

From "Sarah, Plain and Tall" by Patricia MacLachlan