Common name:
Lesser hawkbit
Family:
Scientific name:
Leontodon saxatilis
Main flower color:
Range:
Coastal areas of the Pacific states, and small areas to the east (non-native)
Height:
Between 4 and 12 inches
Habitat:
Disturbed areas, roadsides, fields, waste ground
Leaves:
Oblanceolate, up to 10 inches long, covered by bristly white hairs. Entire or shallowly lobed
Season:
June to October
The leaves of leontodon saxatilis (lesser hawkbit) are quite distinctive, being quite densely covered on both sides by bristly white hairs. Leaves are generally green, though often red underneath and along the margins. Plants produce many short, unbranched, leafless stems, somewhat curved but pointing upwards. There is usually one flowerhead per stem.
Heads are formed of 25 or more ray-like florets (ligules), the corollas of which are lobed at the tip, with the middle lobe slightly larger than the two at either side. The largest florets are about half an inch long. The phyllaries are in two rows; all are approximately linear, and are light green in color, darker along the edges. There are two subspecies, ssp longirostris and ssp saxatilis, differing in fruit characteristics.
Heads are formed of 25 or more ray-like florets (ligules), the corollas of which are lobed at the tip, with the middle lobe slightly larger than the two at either side. The largest florets are about half an inch long. The phyllaries are in two rows; all are approximately linear, and are light green in color, darker along the edges. There are two subspecies, ssp longirostris and ssp saxatilis, differing in fruit characteristics.
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