A 1929 collection of a plant presumably growing as a weed on the Marygrove College Campus, Wayne Co., appears to be this European species. This collection is evidently the only North American record of this species to date, but the USDA considers it to have a high risk potential as a weed (Aphis, 2016).

Senecio vernalis somewhat resembles S. vulgaris, but has conspicuous long rays and sparse whitish, matted hairs on the stems and leaves. With its long rays, this might be keyed to Jacobaea vulgaris, but S. vernalis is an annual or winter annual with leaves only pinnatifid. The plants also might seem to resemble Packera glabella which, however, has essentially glabrous stems and foliage, basal and lowermost stem leaves clearly pinnate, with a large terminal segment about as wide as long or wider, and stems usually purple tinged, at least below. Senecio vernalis has the leaves and the stem, especially when young, with white cobwebby hairs, leaves merely pinnately lobed and lacking a conspicuous terminal segment and with the lobes and rachis conspicuously dentate, and stems lacking purple color.