Species
Hieracium pollichiae
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.
Common Name(s)
spotted hawkweed
Family
Asteraceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
HIEPOL
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
Habitat
Terrestrial. Under Nothofagus and Kunzea forest and exotic conifer plantations (Webb et al 1988).
Features
Perennial herb 15-30 cm tall. Leaves mostly basal, dull green with conspicuous purple streaks above, pale and often purplish below, 5-12 by 2-3.5 cm. Bright yellow flowers in clusters of 3-5.
Similar Taxa
H. pollichiae is distinguished from all other Hireacium species in NZ by the purple streaked leaves.
Flowering
December, January, February, March
Flower Colours
Yellow
Fruiting
December - March
Year Naturalised
1988
Origin
Europe
Reason for Introduction
Accidental
Life Cycle and Dispersal
Perennial.
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 8 Aug 2013