Hawkweed

Hawkweed
Missing image Orange-Hawkweed.jpg Orange Hawkweed Orange Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Subfamily: Lactucoideae Tribe: Lactuceae Genus: Hieracium L.,
Species
See text

Hawkweed refers to any species in the very large genus Hieracium of the sunflower family (Asteraceae)

They are common perennials, occurring worldwide in temperate regions, except in Australasia. They are usually small and weedy. Only a few are ornamental plants. Most are considered to be troublesome weeds.

They grow to 5-100 cm tall, and feature clusters of yellow, orange or red flower heads, similar to dandelions, atop a long, fuzzy stalk.

Hawkweed is a slang name taken from folklore which says that hawks would chew on the plant to improve their eyesight.

Hawkweeds are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Autumnal Rustic.

Taxonomy

Few genera are more complex and have given the botanists an headache due to the great number of apomictic species. Through speciation by rapid evolution, polyploidy and hybridisation, this variable genus has given rise to thousands of small variations and about 250 microspecies, each with their own taxonomic name. The database IPNI provides more than 12,000 named taxa for this genus, including subspecies and synonyms. This means that there are several thousand of accepted names.

Attempts have been made to break up this genus in Hieracium (sensu stricto) and Pilosella, based on achene characters and the occurrence of stolons.

Species

The list below is a selection of species with their common names. A more complete list is given in List of Hieracium species.

• Hieracium albiflorum : White-flowered Hawkweed
• Hieracium alpinum : Alpine Hawkweed
• Hieracium amitsokense : Royal Hawkweed
• Hieracium angmagssalikense : Blackstyle Hawkweed

• Hieracium argutum : Southern Hawkweed
• Hieracium atratum : Polar Hawkweed
• Hieracium aurantiacum: Orange Hawkweed
• Hieracium bolanderi : Bolander's Hawkweed
• Hieracium bombycinum : Spanish King-devil
• Hieracium caespitosum : Meadow Hawkweed, Yellow Hawkweed
• Hieracium canadense : Canadian Hawkweed
• Hieracium carneum : Huachuca Hawkweed
• Hieracium cynoglossoides : Houndstongue Hawkweed
• Hieracium devoldii : Devold's Hawkweed
• Hieracium fendleri : Yellow Hawkweed
• Hieracium florentinum : Smooth Hawkweed, King Devil, Pale Hawkweed
• Hieracium floribundum : Yellow Devil Hawkweed
• Hieracium glomeratum : Queen Devil Hawkweed
• Hieracium gracile : Slender Hawkweed
• Hieracium greenii : Maryland Hawkweed
• Hieracium groenlandicum : Greenland Hawkweed

• Hieracium gronovii : Queendevil
• Hieracium horridum : Prickly Hawkweed
• Hieracium hyparcticum : Arctic Hawkweed
• Hieracium inuloides : Butterfly Hawkweed
• Hieracium ivigtutense : Holsteinsborg Hawkweed
• Hieracium kalmii : Kalm's Hawkweed
• Hieracium lachenalii : Common Hawkweed
• Hieracium laevigatum : Smooth Hawkweed
• Hieracium lemmonii : Lemmon's Hawkweed
• Hieracium lividorubens : Cow Hawkweed
• Hieracium longiberbe : Longbeard Hawkweed

• Hieracium longipilum : Hairy Hawkweed
• Hieracium maculatum : Spotted Devil's Paintbrush
• Hieracium megacephalon : Coastalplain Hawkweed
• Hieracium musartutense : Musartut Hawkweed
• Hieracium nepiocratum : Lindenows Fjord hawkweed
• Hieracium murorum : Wall Hawkweed
• Hieracium paniculatum : Allegheny Hawkweed
• Hieracium pilosella : Mouse-ear hawkweed
• Hieracium pilloselloides : Tall Hawkweed, Glaucous King Devil
• Hieracium plicatum : Boreal Hawkweed
• Hieracium praealtum : Kingdevil
• Hieracium pratense : Yellow Hawkweed
• Hieracium pringlei : Pringle's Hawkweed
• Hieracium rigorosum : Rockyscree Hawkweed
• Hieracium robinsonii : Robinson's Hawkweed
• Hieracium rusby i : Rusby's Hawkweed
• Hieracium sabaudum : New England Hawkweed
• Hieracium scabrum : Rough Hawkweed
• Hieracium scholanderi : Kap Farvel Hawkweed
• Hieracium scouleri : Woollyweed
• Hieracium stelechodes : Dronning Maries Dal Hawkweed
• Hieracium stiptocaule : Igaliko Fjord Hawkweed
• Hieracium sylowii : Brownstyle Hawkweed
• Hieracium tridentatum : Treetooth Hawkweed
• Hieracium trigonophorum : Singlehead Hawkweed
• Hieracium triste : Woolly Hawkweed
• Hieracium umbellatum : Narrowleaf Hawkweed
• Hieracium venosum : Rattlesnake Weed
• Hieracium villosum : Shaggy Hawkweed
• Hieracium wellwitchii (Hort.) : Silver Mouse-ear
• Hieracium wrightii : Roughstem Hawkweed

Reference

• Stace, C. A. 1998. Sectional names in the genus Hieracium (Asteraceae) sensu stricto. Edinb. J. Bot. 55: 417-444.
• Shetler, Stanmyn; Fet, Galina & Unumb, Ellen A. eds. Flora of the U.S.S.R. Volume XXX: Compositae, Genus Hieracium (translated from Russian), 706 pp., illustr., Washington D.C., Smithsonian Institution Libraries, 2002.

See also: Hawkweed