Tag Archives: Hieracium

Found in New York

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As I wrote a few days ago, Steve and I spent last weekend in New York State, hiking and eating and generally hanging out.  In addition to dozens of pointed-leaf tick trefoil, we saw…

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herb-robert (Geranium robertianum; Geraniaceae); endangered in Maryland, threatened in Indiana, of special concern in Rhode Island, and class B noxious weed in Washington, where it is known as Stinky Bob.

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orange hawkweed  (Hieracium aurantiacum; Asteraceae), aka devil’s weed, king-devil, devil’s-paintbrush, missionary weed, fox-and-cubs, and a few others; “A” list noxious weed in Colorado, noxious weed in Idaho, Category 2 noxious weed in Montana, “A” designated weed (and Quarantine) in Oregon, and class C noxious weed in Washington.  We only saw one plant.

 

 

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helleborine (Epipactis helleborine; Orchidaceae); imagine my joy on finding an orchid in the wild, then imagine my dismay when I identified it and learned that it’s an alien invasive.

Next time, some less noxious plants.

photographed at Hi Tor Fish and Wildlife Management Area and Finger Lakes National Forest

Flower of the Day: Rattlesnake Weed

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aka rattlesnake hawkweed
Hieracium venosum
Asteraceae

 

 

 

This species of hawkweed is found in all US states east of Mississippi, as well as Quebec, and west of the Mississippi in Missouri and British Columbia. It’s endangered in Maine.

There are 37 native and 15 alien species of Heiracium in North America; at least one grows in every US state and Canadian province (except Nunavut).  Some of these are naturally occurring hybrids.  And several others are considered noxious weeds. And yet a few more are threatened or endangered.

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This one grows up to 2 1/2 feet tall in dry, open woods and clearings, usually on rocky soils (or right on rocks).

 

 

 

 

 

It’s all over the Carderock area as well as the large bluff in the middle of the Billy Goat B trail.  It’s easy to distinguish from other hawkweeds: on the young plant, the basal leaves have a characteristic red venation, though that color fades as the plant ages.

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Several sources state that the moniker “rattlesnake” comes from the fact that it shares habitat with actual rattlesnakes.

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Flower of the Day: Hairy Hawkweed

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aka queendevil; Hieracium gronovii; Asteraceae (aster family)

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Unlike the big sunflowers and coneflowers I’ve posted about in the last several days, this little plant grows in the dry soils along the rocky bluffs well above the river.  Like its close relative rattlesnake weed (fotd 5/31), this composite flower is comprised only of rays.

The flowering stem of hairy hawkweed grows only one to three feet tall, and might show a few small leaves; otherwise the plant has only a very low basal rosette of leaves:

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It’s found from Quebec and Maine (or not; it’s listed as possibly extirpated in Maine) south through Texas and Florida, but not in Vermont and New Hampshire.

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By the way, I swear I did not re-use the picture from May 31! These two plants are in the same genus and the flowers are almost identical.  Indeed, when I first spotted this plant I thought I’d found an extremely late-blooming rattlesnake weed; I only realized it was something different when I looked at the basal rosette of leaves.