Pilosella aurantiaca
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| Pilosella aurantiaca (L.) F.W.Schultz & Schultz-Bip. |
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Hieracium aurantiacum L. |
Pilosella aurantiaca (orange hawkweed, tawny hawkweed, Devil's paintbrush or fox and cubs) is a perennial plant native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe, where it is protected in several regions.
It is a low-growing plant with shallow fibrous roots and a basal rosette of elliptical to lanceolate leaves 5–20 cm long and 1–3 cm broad. The flowering stem is usually leafless or with just one or two small leaves. The stem and leaves are covered with short stiff hairs (trichomes), usually blackish in colour. The stems may reach a height of 60 cm and have 2–25 capitula (flowerheads), each 1–2½ cm diameter, bundled together at the end of short pedicels. All parts of the plant exude a milky juice.
The plants propagates through its wind-dispersed seeds, and also vegetatively by stolons and shallow rhizomes.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
P. aurantiaca is widely grown as an ornamental plant in gardens for its very decorative flowers. It has been introduced as in Australasia and North America, where it has become an invasive species in some areas, displacing native plants in open areas. It is found across Canada and the north of the US, reaching more in the south on the coasts. The plant is easily removed (until it seeds back) by ploughing or salting. It is on the noxious weeds and/or quarantine lists of Colorado[1], Idaho[2], Montana [3][4], Oregon[5], Washington[6] and regions of British Columbia[7], with cultivation usually prohibited. In Alberta, it is not considered a noxious weed except locally [8]. In Australia, the plant is considered a noxious weed in Tasmania and it is quarantined from the country[9]. In New Zealand, the plant is closely watched[10] and attempts at control are made.
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