groundsel
/ˈɡraʊn(d)s(ə)l
/noun
A widely distributed plant of the daisy family, with yellow rayless flowers.
- Genus Senecio, family Compositae: several species, in particular the common groundsel (S. vulgaris), which is a common weed.
- While studying a drab little plant called the groundsel, he was struck by the fact that plants of the same genetic variety could look very different in different environments.
- The image, of a groundsel, shows Britain's newest species of plant - found next to the railway station car park in York.
Origin
Old English gundæswelgiæ (later grundeswylige), probably from gund 'pus' + swelgan 'to swallow' (with reference to its use in poultices). The later form may be by association with ground1, and refer to the plant's rapid growth.