The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Brazilian cat's ear, Tweedy's cat's ear

false dandelion, hairy cat's-ear, rough cat's-ear

Habit Biennials or perennials, 30–70 cm; taproots vertical, deep, thick, caudices stout. Perennials, 10–60 cm; taproots vertical, thick, fibrous, caudices woody.
Stems

(1–5) erect or ascending, simple or sparingly branched distally, glabrous or pilose proximally.

(1–15) erect, usually branched (2–3 times at midstem and distally, sparsely bracteate or naked), glabrous or coarsely hirsute proximally.

Leaves

basal and proximally cauline;

basal blades elliptic to oblanceolate, 60–200 × 10–50 mm, margins coarsely and sharply dentate or 2-dentate, ciliate, faces glabrous or coarsely hirsute (cauline sessile, blades lanceolate, 50–100 × 10–30 mm, margins sharply dentate or pinnatifid; distal reduced, entire).

all basal;

blades oblanceolate, lyrate to slightly runcinate, 50-–350 × 5–30 mm, margins coarsely dentate to pinnatifid, faces ± hirsute (hairs coarse, spreading).

Involucres

broadly campanulate, 10–20 × 5–20 mm.

cylindric or campanulate, 10–25 × 10–20 mm.

Florets

50–100+;

corollas yellow, 5–7 mm, equaling phyllaries at flowering.

10–15 mm, surpassing phyllaries at flowering;

corollas bright yellow or grayish green.

Phyllaries

20–30, linear-lanceolate, 4–15 mm, unequal, ± hirsute (at least medially).

20–30, narrowly lanceolate, 3–20 mm, unequal, margins scarious, green to darkened, faces glabrous or sparsely hirsute medially.

Heads

1–10, in loose, paniculiform to corymbiform arrays.

usually 2–7 in loose arrays, sometimes borne singly.

Cypselae

monomorphic, all beaked;

bodies golden brown, fusiform, 8–10 mm, muricate, ribs 4–5;

pappi of white, plumose bristles in 1 series, 6–8 mm.

monomorphic, all beaked, beaks 3–5 mm;

bodies golden brown, fusiform, 6–10 mm, ribs 10–12, muricate;

pappi of whitish bristles in 2 series, outer barbellate, shorter than plumose inner, longest 10–12 mm.

2n

= 8, 10.

= 8.

Hypochaeris chillensis

Hypochaeris radicata

Phenology Flowering Apr. Flowering Apr–Nov.
Habitat Waste areas with sandy soil, roadsides, lawns Oak-pine forest, coastal prairie, dunes, waste ground, dry fields, roadside ditches, railroads, lawns
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft) 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; South America [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; CA; CO; CT; DE; FL; GA; ID; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; LB; Europe; Asia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hypochaeris chillensis is recognized by the sharply dentate or pinnatifid cauline leaves, yellow corollas, and monomorphic, beaked cypselae. Plants in the flora area differ from those found elsewhere mainly in having the outer phyllaries somewhat more hirsute medially.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Hypochaeris radicata is recognized by the coarse, perennial habit, stout roots, coarsely hirsute leaves and phyllaries, yellow corollas, and monomorphic, beaked cypselae. It is weedy and invasive in some areas.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 19, p. 298. FNA vol. 19, p. 299.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Hypochaeris Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Hypochaeris
Sibling taxa
H. glabra, H. microcephala, H. radicata
H. chillensis, H. glabra, H. microcephala
Synonyms Apargia chillensis, Achyrophorus chillensis, H. brasiliensis, Porcellites brasiliensis
Name authority (Kunth) Britton: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 19: 371. (1892) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 811. (1753)
Web links