Species

Hieracium argillaceum

Etymology

Hieracium: From the Greek hierax 'hawk'. Pliny the Elder (AD 23 - AD 79) believed the plant to be eaten by hawks to improve their eyesight.
argillaceum: From the Latin argilla 'clay', meaning growing in argillaceouos soils

Common Name(s)

hawkweed

Authority

Hieracium argillaceum group

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

HIEARG

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites

Synonyms

Hieracium lachenalii L.

Habitat

H. argillaceum is very similar to H murorum but lacks square based leaves and has more (2-5, cf 1-2) leaves on flowering stems.

Features

Erect perennial herb 20-75 cm tall. Leaves mostly in a basal rosette, but with some leaves present on flowering stems. Basal leaves 6-12 cm long by 2-5 cm wide, finely toothed, stem leaves smaller and more coarsely toothed. Multiple clusters of yellow flowers.

Similar Taxa

The yellow flowers, lack of stolons, toothed leaves and few leaves on the stems separates this species from most other Hieracium in NZ. To separate from, H lepidulum and H. pollichiae, you need to look closely at the types of hairs on the small leaves (bracts) that make up the base of the flowerhead with a magnifying lens. H. argillaceum lacks long pale-tipped hairs present on H. lepiduim and H. pollichiae.

Flowering

November, December, January, February, March

Flower Colours

Yellow

Year Naturalised

1940

Origin

Europe

Reason for Introduction

Accidental

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Terrestrial. Roadsides, rocky places, waste land, in scrub grassland and forest (Webb et al 1988).

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.

Webb, C. J.; Sykes, W. R.; Garnock-Jones, P.J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand Volume IV; Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons. Christchurch, Botany Division, D.S.I.R.

 

This page last updated on 14 Aug 2013