Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Pilosella aurantiaca subsp. aurantiaca
Common name
Orange Hawkweed
Family
Asteraceae
Where found
Woodland, grassy areas, alpine herbfields, and disturbed sites, usually at high altitudes. Kosciuszko National Park. Occasionally elsewhere.
Notes
Perennial herb to 0.40 m high, or prostrate. Spreads via creeping aboveground stems (stolons) and develops colonies that can out-compete and replace all other ground vegetation. Flower stalks hairy. Leaves in a basal rosette, rarely alternating up the stems, 4.5-15 cm long, 10-25 mm wide, margins entire, tips pointed, surfaces covered in simple hairs 1–2+ mm long and stellate hairs (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see). Flower heads 10-20 mm in diameter, with 25–120+ bright orange to red 'petals', the centre 'petals' often yellow. Flower heads below the 'petals' bell-shaped. Bracts appressed to the flower heads 13–30+. Flower heads in clusters of 5-30 flowers. Flowers spring–autumn.
Was Hieracium aurantiacum subsp. carpathicola.
National Environmental Alert List (as Pilosella species). General Biosecurity Duty with additional restrictions in all NSW (as Pilosella species). Noxious weed Vic (as Hieracium spp.).
PROHIBITED MATTER in NSW (as Pilosella species): If you see this plant report it to the NSW Invasive Plants & Animals Enquiry Line 1800 680 244
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Pilosella~aurantiaca+subsp.~aurantiaca (accessed 14 April 2021)
Description partly based on Flora of North America (as Hieracium aurantiacum): http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250006657 (accessed 14 April 2021)
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