Species
Pilosella ×stoloniflora
Etymology
Pilosella: Softly hairy
Common Name(s)
hawkweed
Authority
Pilosella ×stoloniflora (Waldst. & Kit.) F.W.Schultz & Sch.Bip.
Family
Asteraceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites
Synonyms
Hieracium ×stoloniflorum
Habitat
Terrestrial. Gardens, waste land, grassland, forest and scrub.
Features
Perennial herb 15-30 cm high with stolons. Rosette leaves green, entire or obscurely dentate, 4-12 x 1.5-3 cm; upper surface with numerous simple hairs; lower surface with fine eglandular hairs and numerous stellate hairs. One to two orange (purple when dry) flowers per stem.
Similar Taxa
Hybrid between P. aurantiaca and P. officinarum. it is intermediate between its two parents. It differs from P.aurantiaca in its larger capitula, usually solitary or paired on long peduncles, and having more stellate hairs. It differs from P. officinarum in its orange ligules (purple when dry), often paired capitula, and sparser stellate hairs.
Flowering
December, January, February, March
Flower Colours
Orange
Fruiting
December - March
Year Naturalised
1988
Origin
C. Europe, N.W. Russia, but possibly arose spontaneously in NZ.
Reason for Introduction
Accidental.
Life Cycle and Dispersal
Perennial. Reproduces by seed, slender stolons can re-establish after disturbance. Sets viable seed via apomixis. Seeds dispersed by clothing, wind and animal pelts. Stolons transported by soil movement.
Tolerances
Can tolerate cold temperatures and dry conditions.
References and further reading
Johnson, A. T. and Smith, H. A (1986). Plant Names Simplified: Their pronunciation, derivation and meaning. Landsman Bookshop Ltd: Buckenhill, UK.
This page last updated on 18 Mar 2016