Hypochaeris radicata L.

Hairy Cat's Ear; Spotted Cat's Ear

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Hairy Cat's Ear is an introduced perennial in the Aster family (Asteraceae). It is native to Europe and Asia, but has been introduced around the world. In Alabama, it can be found statewide. It occurs in lawns, on roadsides, in pastures, along railroads, and in other open, disturbed sites. Hairy Cat's Ear is a perennial from a thick, woody taproot. Leaves are all basal, forming a rosette. The leaves are oblanceolate to lyrate in outline with dentate to pinnatifid margins. The leaves are coarsely hairy with spreading hairs. Flowering stems are erect and 12-18 inches in height. The stems are branched 2-3 times above the middle, are glabrous or pubescent, and are bracteate near the heads. Flowers are produced in heads. The head consists of 20-30 ray florets and no disk florets. The corollas are bright yellow to yellowish green in color. The fruit is a beaked achene with a “parachute” of white pappus at its apex. The pappus bristles form two series with the outer barbellate (barbed) and the inner plumose (feather-like). The stems and leaves of Hairy Cat's Ear release a milky latex sap when broken. Hairy Cat's Ear is a weedy species often seen in urban settings. It is difficult to eradicate from lawns once established. Hypochaeris glabra Linnaeus (Smooth Cat’s Ear) occurs in similar habitats primarily in the southern portion of the state. It can be distinguished by its annual growth form, leaves that are smooth or with sparse hairs, and by having the outer achenes without a beak.--A. Diamond

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Not Native

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