Smelly weed that grows roadside. What's it called?

briany

I've been wondering this one for a while, just wanted to know if anyone could give me a definitive answer. It's a thick stalked weed that i've seen growing alot roadside as well as in unsupervised gardens. It has a yellow flowering of sorts, reminds me a bit of a huge version of a brocolli plant in a way but with yellow tops and gives off a smell that gets right up your nose when you walk next to it. Anyone know what it is? It's quite common but I just can't find the exact name for it.

MB Lacey

Maybe you're describing Ragwort?

thefly

<snip>

Mod edit
Please only post about the subject matter or not at all

mymo

Elderflower maybe?
Although the flowers are more creamy colour than yellow. Google images and see if it matches.

briany

mymo wrote: »

Elderflower maybe?
Although the flowers are more creamy colour than yellow. Google images and see if it matches.

No, I'm pretty sure it is in fact Ragwort as the previous poster said, though I can see where you're coming from on the elderflower. I should have known really but anyone I asked wasn't sure and Googling any type of description didn't come up with a definitive answer. Thanks for the help anyway .

LostCovey

briany wrote: »

No, I'm pretty sure it is in fact Ragwort as the previous poster said, though I can see where you're coming from on the elderflower. I should have known really but anyone I asked wasn't sure and Googling any type of description didn't come up with a definitive answer. Thanks for the help anyway .

It stinks and it's poisonous. Hasn't got much going for it!

LC

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Ragworth sounds right. It has a number of other names including "Stinking Willy" and "Mare's Fart".

Morganna

sounds like your describing ragwort.Which is highly toxic and can cause liver damage and should never be handled without wearing gloves.
Though all through childhood i dug it out and handled it without gloves

Feargal as Luimneach

Morganna wrote: »

sounds like your describing ragwort.Which is highly toxic and can cause liver damage and should never be handled without wearing gloves.
Though all through childhood i dug it out and handled it without gloves

It's not dangerous to handle ragworth

LostCovey

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

It's not dangerous to handle ragworth

....but you should wear gloves anyway because it stinks and stains your hands!

LostCovey

Morganna

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

It's not dangerous to handle ragworth

Well a few years ago in one of the horse magazines they said it was dangerous as the toxins in the plant can get into your body through cuts.and could make you ill.Its highly toxic to livestock especially horses and cattle causing liver damage .

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

From the Irish Farmers Journal:
Pulling: always wear gloves as the toxins are readily absorbed into the human bloodstream.

That said I have always pulled it without gloves and without any adverse affects.

Connacht

From a colour point of view, Ragwort and Rosebay Willowherb are currently the dominant flowers in hedges / roadsides arouind here.

Feargal as Luimneach

Jayleen Grumpy Camouflage wrote: »

From the Irish Farmers Journal:
Pulling: always wear gloves as the toxins are readily absorbed into the human bloodstream.

That said I have always pulled it without gloves and without any adverse affects.

Transcutaneous absorption is minimal. There is no risk.

LostCovey

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

Transcutaneous absorption is minimal. There is no risk.

From Wikipedia, see esp last paragraph in red.

I know, I know.... it IS Wikipedia.

However it fits with what I read before in more authoritative sources that I can't find now.

LostCovey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobaea_vulgaris
Poisonous effects

Ragwort contains many different alkaloids, making it poisonous to animals. (EHC 80,section 9.1.4). Alkaloids which have been found in the plant confirmed by the WHO report EHC 80 are -- jacobine, jaconine, jacozine, otosenine, retrorsine, seneciphylline, senecionine, and senkirkine (pp322 Appendix II). Other alkaloids claimed to be present but from an undeclared source are acetylerucifoline, (Z)-erucifoline, (E)-erucifoline, 21-hydroxyintegerrimine, integerrimine, jacoline, riddelline, senecivernine, spartioidine, and usaramine.
Ragwort is of concern to people who keep horses and cattle. In areas of the world where ragwort is a native plant, such as Britain and continental Europe, documented cases of proven poisoning are rare. Horses do not normally eat fresh ragwort due to its bitter taste. It loses this taste when dried and can become a danger in hay. The result, if sufficient quantity is consumed, can be irreversible cirrhosis of the liver. Signs that a horse has been poisoned include yellow mucus membranes, depression, and lack of coordination. Animals may also resort to the consumption of ragwort when there is shortage of food. In rare cases they can even become addicted to it. Sheep, in marked contrast, eat small quantities of the plant with relish. Sheep and goats suffer the same process of liver destruction but at a reduced rate to horses and pigs. They seem to profit slightly from eating it; according to some reports[who?], the alkaloids kill worms in the sheep's stomach.
The danger of Ragwort is that the toxin can have a cumulative effect. The alkaloid does not actually accumulate in the liver but a breakdown product can damage DNA and progressively kills cells. About 3-7% of the body weight is sometimes claimed as deadly for horses, but an example in the scientific literature exists of a horse surviving being fed over 20% of its body weight. The effect of low doses is lessened by the destruction of the original alkaloids by the action of bacteria in the digestive tract before they reach the bloodstream. There is no known antidote or cure to poisoning, but examples are known from the scientific literature of horses making a full recovery once consumption has been stopped. [6][7]
Ragwort poses little risk to the livers of humans since, although it is theoretically poisonous to humans, it is distasteful and is not used as a food. The alkaloids can be absorbed in small quantities through the skin but studies have shown that the absorption is very much less than by ingestion. Also they are in the N-oxide form which only becomes toxic after conversion inside the digestive tract and they will be excreted harmlessly.
Some sensitive individuals can suffer from an allergic reaction because ragwort like many members of the compositae family contains sesquiterpine lactones which can cause compositae dermatitis. These are different from the pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are responsible for the toxic effects.
Honey collected over Ragwort has been found to contain small quantities of jacoline, jacobine, jacozine, senecionine, and seneciphylline, but the quantities have been judged as too minute to be of concern.[8].