Hieracium aurantiacum (Orange hawkweed)

Hieracium aurantiacum L.

Orange hawkweed, devil’s paintbrush, fox-and-cubs, tawny hawkweed, grim-the-collier

Orange hawkweed is native to central and southern Europe, but after its introduction to other areas of the world as an ornamental plant, it has become a bit too widespread in some areas. It is considered an invasive species or noxious weed in several U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, Australia, and New Zealand. Sure is pretty though.

Sturm, Johann Georg (Painter: Jacob Sturm), Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen, Nrnberg: Gedruckt auf Kosten des Verfassers, 1796

Plants: 8–24″ (20–60 cm) high, with fuzzy stems. Leaves, stems, and stolons produce a milky latex when broken.

Leaves: Mostly basal, spatula-shaped and very fuzzy, up to 5″ (12 cm) long.

Flowers: Clusters of 5-39 bright orange flowers with paler orange centers, each ½–¾″ (1.3–1.9 cm) across. Flower rays have squared off tips that have several serrations. There is only one orange hawkweed (vs. more than a dozen yellow varieties), so these are relatively easy to identify.

Fruits: Tiny seeds with a tawny tuft of barbs.

Habitats: Meadows, grasslands, rangelands, pastures, lawns.

This hawkweed comparison table is an aid to identifying hawkweeds and similar-appearing species.

Online References:

Luirig.altervista.org

Wikipedia

Minnesota Wildflowers

Invasive.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health

Wikimedia Commons

Flora of North America

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 136

Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown and Company, 1977, p. 360

Eastman, John; illustrated by Hansen, Amelia, The Book of Field and Roadside: Open-Country Weeds, Trees, and Wildflowers of Eastern North America, Stackpole Books, 2003, p. 157

8/17/2020 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 2″ (6.8 × 5.4 cm)

6/19/2024 · Red Rose Preserve, Bowdoinham, Maine · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

9/29/2012 · Franconia Notch Area, New Hampshire · ≈ 3½ × 3″ (9.2 × 7.9 cm)

6/10/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3 × 3″ (7.6 × 8.1 cm)

6/18/2024 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine

6/19/2024 · Red Rose Preserve, Bowdoinham, Maine · ≈ 6 × 5″ (15 × 13 cm)

6/19/2024 · Red Rose Preserve, Bowdoinham, Maine · ≈ 3 × 3″ (8.4 × 7.9 cm)

6/12/2023 · Viles Arboretum, Augusta, Maine

6/18/2024 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine

6/10/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 2 × 3″ (5.7 × 7.7 cm)

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Asterales	Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies
Family	Asteraceae	The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers
Genus	Hieracium	From Greek hierakion, “a hawk,” from Pliny’s belief that hawks strengthened their eyesight by eating these plants
Species	aurantiacum	“Orange-colored”

About plant names...

Range:

About this map...

Hieracium aurantiacum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.