Hieracium pilosella is a perennial herbaceous weedy plant that can grow from 4-12 in. (10.2-30.5 cm) in height.

Foliage

Leaves are elliptic, rosette, 1-4 in. (2.5-10.2 cm) long, covered in long white hairs and have a white vein down the middle. Flower stalks are long, leafless, and covered in stiff dark hairs.

Flowers

Flowers are bright yellow, 1 in. (2.5 cm) across, and clustered in groups of at least 2 flowers. Flowers resemble that of dandelions. Flowering occurs from June to September.

Fruit

Fruits can be found purple to black, 0.08 in. (2 mm) long with off white hairs that are 0.2 in. (5 mm) long. The fruit are usually dispersed by the wind.

Ecological Threat

Hieracium pilosella does not tolerate shade and can be found in disturbed areas such as fields, waste areas, pastures, and roadsides. It is native to Europe.

Citations

Rawlins, K.A., R.L. Winston, C.T. Bargeron, D.J. Moorhead, and R. Carroll. 2018. New Invaders of the Southeast. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2017-05. Retrieved from http://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/FHTET-2017-05_New%20Invaders_SE.pdf
 

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• Alberta Weed Control Act
• Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
• John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• New Invaders of the Southeast
• Oregon Noxious Weeds
• Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council, 1998
• Washington Noxious Weeds
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
• West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999