Hieracium gracile
| Hieracium gracile | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hieracium gracile in Olympic National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Cichorieae |
| Genus: | Hieracium |
| Species: | H. gracile |
| Binomial name | |
| Hieracium gracile Hook. | |
Hieracium gracile is a species of hawkweed known by the common name slender hawkweed. It is native to much of the northwestern United States and parts of British Columbia, where it grows in moist mountain forests. Two varieties are native to Alaska.
Description
This plant is a perennial herb. It produces a milky latex that often is described erroneously as sap. It is 3-35cm tall and is unbranched. The stem has long hairs and some hairs that look like stars. Only grows to 2-12 inches tall.
Leaves
It has basal leaves that are often in a rosette. The leaves look similar to a spoon and are 1-8cm long and 0.3-1.2 cm wide. Most leaves are either hairless or have short little hairs on them.
Flowers
Each plant usually only contains one to two flowers. They are yellow and often look like dadelions. They have bracts around each flower that have grey star shaped hairs and long black gland tipped hairs. These flowers bloom from June to August.
Habitat
Slender hawkweed grows in moist to wet open sites. It grows in mid-montane to alpine areas. It is most commonly seen below the timberline in areas with whitebark pine and alpine larch. It likes dry sites at lower elevations from Southern Colorado to Wyoming.
Literature Cited
Rice, P., & Halpop, J. (2009). Hawkweed identification. Retrieved from http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/hawkweed/pdf/Montana Hawkweed Bulletin.pdf
Kershaw, L., MacKinnon, A., & Pojar, J. (1998). Plants of the rocky mountains. Auburn, WA: Lone Pine.
External links
Media related to Hieracium gracile at Wikimedia Commons