- Lifespan
- Biennial or short-lived perennial, typically 2–3 years
- Size & Weight
- 60–120 cm tall; individual flowers 15–20 mm across
- Habitat
- Found in damp habitats including riverbanks, ditches, canal towpaths, wetland margins, and disturbed moist ground.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread throughout England, Wales, and southern Scotland; increasingly common northwards; present year-round as a resident species.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic plant; derives energy from sunlight and nutrients from soil and water.
- Predators
- Herbivorous insects including willowherb beetles (Chrysomela species) and various caterpillars; occasionally grazed by rabbits and deer.
- Mating Season
- Flowers June to September; pollination occurs throughout this period.
- Breeding
- Produces numerous small seeds dispersed by wind via feathery pappus structures; capable of prolific seed production with thousands of seeds per plant.
- Behaviour
- Highly invasive in some regions, spreading rapidly via wind-dispersed seeds and vegetative reproduction. Flowers are pollinated by bees, hoverflies, and other insects. Often forms dense stands in disturbed wetland habitats.