Senecio /sᵻˈniːʃi.oʊ/is a genus of the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. The scientific Latin genus name, Senecio, means "old man." Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus Senecio is one of the largest genera of flowering plants, cleaved or not of species belonging to other genera. The traditional circumscription of Senecio is artificial, being polyphyletic, even in its new circumscription which is based on genetic data. Despite the separation of many species into other genera, the genus still contains c. 1250 species and is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. As no morphological synapomorphies are known to determine which species belong to the genus or not, no exact species numbers are known. The genus is nearly worldwide distributed and