#pilosella

Plant of the Day

Thursday 5 September 2024

In the crushed, compacted stone on the edge of a car park Pilosella aurantiaca (fox and cubs, Flora's paintbrush, golden mouse ear, orange-flowered hawkweed, red daisy, devil's paintbrush) was thriving. This hairy herbaceous perennial spreads by stolons to form clumps of leaves and has widely naturalised in Britain. The flowers are popular with bees for nectar and pollen.

Split off from Heiracium by the shape of the leaves - smooth-edged in Pilosella, toothed to deeply serrated in Heiracium.

Like the parent genus, notoriously invasive. As with all the chicorys, exudes a milky latex if damaged.

Orange Hawkweed Pilosella aurantiaca Asteraceae

Anyway remember any of my old OCs based on @theveryworstthing ‘s Rabbits of Downtrodden?

No?

Well I do.

Mouse-ear Hawkweed - Pilosella officinarum

I always wondered why dandelions were named after their leaves, instead of their impressive flowers (dent-de-lion = lion toothed). But it is the leaves you need to notice when identifying these types of flowers. These leaves do seem to have animal-like hairs, so I guess mouse-ear is fitting.

Lemony yellow flowers, sometimes with red streaks on the outer petals. The untoothed leaves are in basal rosettes with long leafy runners. There are white hairs on the leaves, and black hairs on the upper stems and sepals.