Flora of New Zealand Series

mouse-ear hawkweed

Stolons slender, with numerous long simple eglandular hairs and dense stellate hairs. Rosette lvs dull glaucescent green above, white-hairy beneath, oblanceolate, sessile or shortly petiolate, entire or very obscurely dentate, (1.5)-2.5-5-(7) × 0.6-1.5-(1.8) cm, subacute and often apiculate, cuneate at base; upper surface with scattered coarse simple hairs 4-6 mm long; lower surface with fine eglandular hairs 1-2 mm long and very dense stellate hairs. Stem lf 0-(1), scale-like. Flowering stems erect, (2)-5-10-(15) cm tall, with 0-few simple eglandular hairs, numerous short glandular hairs and dense stellate hairs. Capitula solitary; involucre 8-13 mm long; bracts with dense stellate hairs and varying proportions of simple eglandular and glandular hairs. Florets yellow, often with red stripe on outer face, c. 2× length of involucre. Achenes dark, c. 2 × 0.5 mm. Pappus 5-6 mm long.

N.: Rotorua, Volcanic Plateau, Lake Waikaremoana, Kaimanawa and Ruahine Ranges, Hawke's Bay; S.: Marlborough, Canterbury, Westland (Douglas R.), Otago, Southland.

Europe, N. and C. Asia 1878

Tussock grasslands, lawns, waste land, river terraces, roadsides, rock outcrops, pasture.

FL Oct-Feb-(May) FT Nov-Apr-(May).

The scapes of mouse-ear hawkweed are usually short at flowering but elongate up to c. 5× at fruiting. Most N.Z. specimens have no simple eglandular hairs on the involucre, but numerous to dense short (c. 0.5 mm) glandular hairs and dense stellate hairs are present. Such plants match descriptions of H. pilosella subsp. micradenium Naeg. et Peter (also treated as Pilosella officinarum subsp. micradenia (Naeg. et Peter) Sell et C. West). Specimens with pale simple eglandular hairs on the involucre are known from Hawke's Bay, Canterbury, Otago, and Southland, and these match H. pilosella subsp. pilosella (also treated as P. officinarum subsp. officinarum). Specimens with dark simple eglandular hairs on the involucre are known from the Ruahine Range, Canterbury, and Otago, and these match H. pilosella subsp. trichosoma Peter (also treated as P. officinarum subsp. trichosoma (Peter) Sell et C. West). Occasional specimens are difficult to place in one of these subspp. or approach other subspp. as described by Sell, P. D. and West, C., in Fl. Europ. 4 : 368 (1976).

H. pilosella is a prominent weed of high country pastures and tussock grasslands. It is distinguished from other spp. by its large solitary pale yellow capitula and the dense stellate pubescence on stolons and lvs beneath. Makepeace, W., New Zealand J. Bot. 19 : 255-257 (1981), reported on variation in lf shape and size and chromosome numbers in 31 populations from N.Z.; all were pentaploid (2 n = 45). H. pilosella has also been known in N.Z. as Pilosella officinarum.