Skye Flora

Few-leaved Hawkweed

Hieracium murorum agg

Taxonomic note: Hawkweeds are apomictic and consist of a huge number of microspecies. Here they are divided into just two groups: few-leaved and many-leaved. Another two species, H aurantiacum and H pilosella, both very distinctive, are treated separately.

Photo © Carl Farmer
9 Jun 2003 Penifiler
Flower 3.2 cm diameter

Common on rocks, walls and in grassland

Flowerhead diameter c 20-50 mm

Skye ID: Stem-leaves few (e.g 0-4), blades shaped like the basal leaves, may be stalkless but not clasping. Flowerhead has involucral bracts of differing lengths (i.e not just in two or more rows each of uniform length)

Other features: Normally has black hairs on involucre. Fruits with feathery pappus like dandelion but shorter and brownish.

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Photo © Carl Farmer
9 Jun 2003 Penifiler
Plant height 37 cm
Left-hand flower 5 cm across

Photo © Carl Farmer
9 Jun 2003 Penifiler
Blade of right-hand lower leaf 9 cm

Mounatin form with no stem leaves and relatively large solitary flowerheads. The name Alpine Hawkweed is sometimes given to forms like this.

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