Hieracium gronovii (Gronovius’ hawkweed)

Hieracium gronovii L.

Gronovius’ hawkweed, hairy hawkweed

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
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	gronovii	For Jan Fredrik Gronon, for whom I can find no information other than that she lived from 1690-1762

About plant names...

I couldn’t determine whether this is a native hawkweed, or one that originated in Europe.

Identification: Plants are 12-18" (30-45 cm) in height, rarely up to 31" (80 cm), with hairy stems. Stems, leaves, and stolons secrete a milky sap when cut. Most of the leaves are a basal rosette of spatula-shaped leaves up to 3½-4" (9-10 cm) × 1" (2.6 cm). Leaves are alternate, usually unlobed and toothless, and oblanceolate, obovate, elliptic, or spatulate. Flower heads are typically composed of 25-50 flowers, and take the form of a raceme composed of several branching cymes. This compound inflorescence is called a thyrse. Each flower is yellow, ½-1" (1.3-2.5 cm) across, with 20-40 rays. (An otherwise similar species, Hieracium scabrum, has 40-100 rays.) Flowers appear from July to October.

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

Online References:

Hieracium gronovii at Illinois Wildflowers

Hieracium gronovii on Discover Life

Hieracium gronovii at the University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Hieracium gronovii on

Hieracium gronovii at Maine.gov’s Department of Conservation Maine Natural Areas Program

Hieracium gronovii on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 162

8/10/2013 · Stone Arch Bridge Trail, Near Flat Rock Hill, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 4" (10.0 × 10 cm)

7/31/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 19 cm) ID is uncertain

Hieracium gronovii L. var. foliosum Michx.

Hieracium gronovii description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 5 Jul 2020.

7/31/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 5" (10 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

7/31/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 3 × 4½" (7.9 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

8/10/2013 · Stone Arch Bridge Trail, Near Flat Rock Hill, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 11" (21 × 27 cm)

8/10/2013 · Stone Arch Bridge Trail, Near Flat Rock Hill, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 16 cm)

7/31/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 3 × 4½" (7.9 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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