Oxford Ragwort
Oxford ragwort gets its name from the Oxford Botanic Gardens where
plants were first grown in the 1700s. They had been collected from
Mount Etna on the Island of Sicily where they were found growing
on the lava fields. By1794 the plant was to be found on the city
walls having escaped from its original source. With the advent of
the railways Oxford Ragwort, finding the clinker beds of the tracks
similar to its original volcanic habitat spread around the country.
Oxford Ragwort can now be found all over the UK and is often to
be found growing in the gaps in paving stones.
Recent research (1) has found that Oxford Ragwort (Senecio squalidus)
is actually of hybrid origin. Its parents are two other speicies
of Ragwort, Senecio aethnensis and Senecio chrysanthemifolius which
are both only found on Sicily. It appears that the occur at different
heights on the mountain and in between these points on the mountain
the hybrid occurs. It is this Ragwort that was originally taken
to Oxford.
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References
(1) Evolution Vol 59, Issue 12 (December 2005) pp. 2533–254 James. J.K. and Abbot R.J Recent, allopatric, homoploid hybrid speciation: The origin of Senecio squalidus (Asteraceae) in the British Isles from a hybrid zone on Mount Etna, Sicily
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