Hairy Hawkbit

Hairy Hawkbit photos

Family: Daisy (Asteraceae syn. Compositae)

Scientific Name:

Leontodon taraxacoides

Hairy Hawkbit plant in non-saline conditions
Photo: A J Brown

Other Common Names:

Lesser Hawkbit

Status:

Native to Europe. Naturalised throughout Australia except the Northern Territory.

Plant Description:

Perennial herb to 40 cm tall with a basal rosette of hairy leaves of narrow oblanceolate shape (lance-shaped with point attached to stem) and often, but not always, lobed.

Flower-head on a solitary stem and nodding in bud. ‘Petals’ 3-7 mm long, bright yellow with a purplish exterior. Fruit a cypsela or achene (dry, indehiscent and one-seeded), 4-5.5 mm long with a pappus of hairs that serve to bear the fruit on the wind.

Habitat:

Common and widespread throughout Victoria with only an occasional occurrence in the Mallee. Grows on roadsides, gardens, wasteland, disturbed sites and sand dunes. Appears to have some tolerance to salt, provided soil moisture levels are adequate. Often found on heavier swamp soils and lake margins, developing reddened and stunted leaves where salinity is of moderate class.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Loddon Murray, Central and Northern, Wimmera	S0, S1*	W0, W1, W2
Western, Gippsland	S0, S1, S2*	W0, W1, W2

*leaves generally show reddening at this salinity class

Comments:

Hairy Hawkbit belongs to a group of mainly yellow-flowered daisies in the Tribe Lactuceae. The plants in this tribe are characterised by having a basal rosette of leaves (flat-weeds), milky sap in their stems and their flower-heads consisting entirely of ray florets (i.e. no ‘eye’ to the daisy). Hairy Hawkbit is similar to a number of other ‘flatweeds’. See Key to Yellow Daisy Flat-weeds.

Hairy Hawkbit Photos

Leaves of Hairy Hawkbit Photo: A J Brown	Reddened leaves of Hairy Hawkbit in response to dry and moderately saline conditions Photo: A J Brown
Hairy Hawkbit plant growing in rock crevice with Buck's-horn Plaintain, Creeping Brookweed and Swamp Weed Photo: A J Brown	Flower bud of Hairy Hawkbit Photo: A J Brown
Emerging flowers of Hairy Hawkbit Photo: A J Brown	Hairy Hawkbit flower Photo: A J Brown

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