Hypochaeris microcephala |
Hypochaeris radicata |
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smallhead cat's ear |
false dandelion, hairy cat's-ear, rough cat's-ear |
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Habit | Perennials, 10–60 cm; taproots vertical, thick, fibrous, caudices woody. | |
Stems | (1–15) erect, usually branched (2–3 times at midstem and distally, sparsely bracteate or naked), glabrous or coarsely hirsute proximally. |
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Leaves | all basal; blades oblanceolate, lyrate to slightly runcinate, 50-–350 × 5–30 mm, margins coarsely dentate to pinnatifid, faces ± hirsute (hairs coarse, spreading). |
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Involucres | cylindric or campanulate, 10–25 × 10–20 mm. |
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Florets | 10–15 mm, surpassing phyllaries at flowering; corollas bright yellow or grayish green. |
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Phyllaries | 20–30, narrowly lanceolate, 3–20 mm, unequal, margins scarious, green to darkened, faces glabrous or sparsely hirsute medially. |
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Heads | usually 2–7 in loose arrays, sometimes borne singly. |
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Cypselae | 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. |
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2n | = 8. |
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Hypochaeris microcephala |
Hypochaeris radicata |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Nov. | |
Habitat | Oak-pine forest, coastal prairie, dunes, waste ground, dry fields, roadside ditches, railroads, lawns | |
Elevation | 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft) | |
Distribution |
LA; OK; TX; South America
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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]
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (1 in the flora). Hypochaeris microcephala is distinguished by the perennial habit, presence of cauline leaves, relatively small heads, and white corollas. It is most similar to H. chillensis; it usually has smaller heads with fewer florets and glabrous phyllaries. (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. 299. | FNA vol. 19, p. 299. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Hypochaeris | Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Hypochaeris |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | Achyrophorus microcephalus | |
Name authority | (Schultz-Bipontinus) Cabrera: Notas Mus. La Plata, Bot. 2: 200. (1937) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 811. (1753) |
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