Native to northern Africa, Europe, western and northern Asia.
This species is widely naturalised in the wetter parts of southern Australia (i.e. in parts of southern and central New South Wales, in Victoria and Tasmania, in south-eastern South Australia and in the coastal districts of south-western Western Australia). It is also sparingly naturalised in south-eastern Queensland and the ACT . Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) is also widely naturalised in other parts of the world, including throughout most of North America (i.e. Alaska, Canada and the USA) and in Hawaii.
It is sometimes regarded as a minor environmental weed in southern Australia, though it is mainly a weed of disturbed sites, urban areas and cultivation. This species is occasionally seen in disturbed natural areas, where it is generally not regarded as a problem,.
It is also occasionally found in coastal environs. For example, it is minor weed of saltmarshes in central New South Wales, a weed of shorelines in South Australia, and an ephemeral weed that occupies bare areas on beaches in Tasmania.
Senecio vulgaris is listed in the following regions:
South Coast | Central West NSW