Pilosella ×stoloniflora
NPPA pest plant
Common names
hawkweed
Biostatus
Exotic
Conservation status
Not applicable
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
Orange
Detailed description
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.
Habitat
Terrestrial. Gardens, waste land, grassland, forest and scrub.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Hieracium ×stoloniflorum
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December, January, February, March
Fruiting
December - March
Year naturalised
1988
Origin
C. Europe, N.W. Russia, but possibly arose spontaneously in NZ.
Reason for introduction
Accidental.
Tolerances
Can tolerate cold temperatures and dry conditions.
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.
Other information
Etymology
pilosella: Softly hairy
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.
Referencing and citations
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.