Scientific Name:
Hypochaeris radicata
Pronunciation:
hy-poh-KAIR-iss rad-ee-KAY-tuh
Common Name:
false dandelion
Family Name:
Asteraceae
Plant Type:
Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Perennial weed 15-60cm tall with milky sap; stems narrow and forked; leaves mostly basal, pinnately lobed (more fleshy and less severely lobed than dandelion), oblanceolate, most 6-15(-30) long x 2-5(-7_cm wide with rounded tips and short hairs; flower heads 2-2.5cm wide x 1-1.5cm high when fully open, yellow, ray florets only, penduncles green, solid, with alternating leaf-like bracts (unlike dandelion); achenes with long white feathery hairs.
Habit:
Arching, Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Prickly
Surfaces:
Glandular hairs
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Oblanceolate, Oblong
Apices:
Obtuse, Rounded
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Small heads arranged in a cyme
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Corolla Shape:
Ligulate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Cypsela (achene + calyx)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Organ Modifications:
Storage tap root
Propagation:
Seed
Pest Susceptibility:
Thrips (Pest resistant)
