Pilosella officinarum

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Pilosella officinarum
Hieracium pilosella plant.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Pilosella
Species:
P. officinarum
Binomial name
Pilosella officinarum
Vaill. [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Hieracium albofloccosum(Nägeli & Peter) Prain
  • Hieracium kemulariaeÜksip
  • Hieracium leucopsilonArv.-Touv.
  • Hieracium melanops(Peter) J.Weiss
  • Hieracium obscurisquamum(Nägeli & Peter) Prain
  • Hieracium paradoxumKem.-Nath.
  • Hieracium pilosellaL.
  • Hieracium tricholepium(Nägeli & Peter) Prain
  • Hieracium trichosoma(Peter) J.Weiss
  • Pilosella angustellaNorrl.
  • Pilosella melanops(Peter) Dostál
  • Pilosella micradenophoraDostál
  • Pilosella tricholepia(Nägeli & Peter) Dostál
  • Pilosella urnigeraNorrl.

Pilosella officinarum (synonym Hieracium pilosella), [1] known as mouse-ear hawkweed, [2] is a yellow-flowered species of flowering plant in the daisy family Compositae (= Asteraceae), native to Europe and northern Asia. It produces single, lemon-coloured inflorescences. Like most hawkweed species, it is highly variable and is a member of a species complex of several dozens of subspecies and hundreds of varieties and forms. It is an allelopathic plant.

Contents

Description

It is a hispid (hairy) perennial plant, with a basal rosette of leaves. The whole plant, with the exception of the flower parts, is covered in glandular hairs, usually whitish, sometimes reddish on the stem. The rosette leaves are entire, acute to blunt, and range from 1–12 centimetres (0.39–4.72 in) long and 0.5–2 centimetres (0.20–0.79 in) broad. Their underside is tomentose (covered with hair). The flowering stem (scape) is generally between 5–50 centimetres (2.0–19.7 in) tall, and sprouts from the centre of the basal rosette. The flowerheads are borne singly on the scape and are a pale lemon-yellow colour, with the outermost ligules having a reddish underside. It flowers from May until August and the flowers are visited by various groups of insects, especially flies. [3]

The plant favours dry, sunny areas. It grows well on sandy and similarly less fertile ground types. It produces stolons which generate a new rosette at their extremity, each rosette has the possibility of developing into a new clone forming dense mats in open space. It also propagates by seeds.

Ecology

It is a known allelopathic plant, whose roots secrete several substances inhibiting root growth, [4] including its own. It can be controlled through rotation with clover and grasses where possible. [4]

Recent research claims that Pilosella officinarum exhibits an atavism by the reemergence of sexual reproduction. [5]

The plant has been found as an invasive species in Sphagnum peatlands disturbed by peat extraction in southern Patagonia. [6]

Similar species

Shetland mouse-ear hawkweed (Pilosella flagellaris subsp. bicapitata) is similar, but has two flowers per leaf stalk. It is found in the Shetland Islands only, on rocky coastal grassland. It flowers from May to August. [7]

Cultivation and uses

Mouse-ear hawkweed has become a common introduced invasive species in North America (where it is found in southern Canada and both north-east and north-west United States), and New Zealand. It is a level C noxious weed in the United States (with higher levels in the states of Washington and Oregon), and a weed in Quebec. It does not have special designations in other locations in Canada. It is known to be strongly invasive in New Zealand's tussock fields, where there are no native species of hawkweed, and biological control measures are being undertaken to control it and other similar species. In Victoria and NSW, Australia, Hawkweed Sp. are declared as State Prohibited Weeds and are controlled under The Bio Security Act 2015. Currently there are several eradication programs operating (often employing volunteers) to locate, prevent the spread of and eradicate any Pilosella (Hieracium) sp. plants.

Joseph Pitton de Tournefort mentions that blades covered in this plant's juices were believed to cut through stone as easily as through wood. [8]

Phytochemistry

The mouse-ear hawkweed contains umbelliferone, a compound similar to coumarin. [9] The plant produces triterpenoids, mainly taraxasterol, but also the 4,4-dimethyl phytosterols alpha- and beta-amyrin, taraxerol, and fern-7en-3beta-ol. [10] It has been used in folk medicine, [11] and recreationally as a cannabis substitute. [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pilosella aurantiaca</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Pilosella aurantiaca is a perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe, where it is protected in several regions.

<i>Hieracium</i> Genus of flowering plants

Hieracium , known by the common name hawkweed and classically as hierakion, is a genus of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, and closely related to dandelion (Taraxacum), chicory (Cichorium), prickly lettuce (Lactuca) and sow thistle (Sonchus), which are part of the tribe Cichorieae. Hawkweeds, with their 10,000+ recorded species and subspecies, do their part to make Asteraceae the second largest family of flowering plants. Some botanists group all these species or subspecies into approximately 800 accepted species, while others prefer to accept several thousand species. Since most hawkweeds reproduce exclusively asexually by means of seeds that are genetically identical to their mother plant, clones or populations that consist of genetically identical plants are formed and some botanists prefer to accept these clones as good species whereas others try to group them into a few hundred more broadly defined species. What is here treated as the single genus Hieracium is now treated by most European experts as two different genera, Hieracium and Pilosella, with species such as Hieracium pilosella, Hieracium floribundum and Hieracium aurantiacum referred to the latter genus. Many members of the genus Pilosella reproduce both by stolons and by seeds, whereas true Hieracium species reproduce only by seeds. In Pilosella, many individual plants are capable of forming both normal sexual and asexual (apomictic) seeds, whereas individual plants of Hieracium only produce one kind of seeds. Another difference is that all species of Pilosella have leaves with smooth (entire) margins whereas most species of Hieracium have distinctly dentate to deeply cut or divided leaves.

A dry roadside dotted with small, ¾ inch red orange flowers, interspersed with very similar yellow ones, and often the white of daisies, is a good sign that you are in Hawkweed country.

<i>Holcus lanatus</i> Species of plant

Holcus lanatus is a perennial flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. The specific epithet lanatus is Latin for 'woolly' which describes the plant's hairy texture. Common names include Yorkshire fog, tufted grass, and meadow soft grass. In North America, where it is an invasive species, names include velvet grass and common velvet grass.

<i>Pilosella caespitosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Pilosella caespitosa is like several other Pilosella species and has a similar appearance to many of the hawkweeds.

<i>Hieracium laevigatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Hieracium laevigatum, or smooth hawkweed, is a Eurasian plant species in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across much of Europe and western Asia. It is very similar to Hieracium sabaudum and can be found on dry, more or less nutrient rich soil in light woods, grassy embankments and fields, or on walls.

<i>Hieracium scouleri</i> Species of flowering plant

Hieracium scouleri, known as Scouler's woollyweed, is a species of flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It is native to western North America, from British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, and south to northern California and Utah in the United States.

<i>Hieracium radyrense</i> Species of flowering plant

Hieracium radyrense, the Radyr hawkweed, is a very rare endemic species restricted to Radyr in south Wales, UK. First identified in 1907 it was described as a variety in 1948 and a species in 1955. and belongs to Hieracium section Vulgata. It has rarely been seen and surveys between 1998 and 2004 indicate that only one population of about 25 plants survives.

<i>Oxyptilus pilosellae</i> Species of plume moth

Oxyptilus pilosellae is a moth of the family Pterophoridae first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1841. It is found in most of Europe, east to Russia and Asia Minor. It was released as a biological control agent for Hieracium in New Zealand in 1998.

<i>Crombrugghia distans</i> Species of plume moth

Crombrugghia distans, also known as the Breckland plume is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in Africa, Asia and Europe. It was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1847.

<i>Hieracium venosum</i> Species of flowering plant

Hieracium venosum is a species of hawkweed in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It is widespread and common in south-central Canada (Ontario) and the eastern United States. Its common name comes from the fact that environments it is found in are typically also a home to rattlesnakes.

<i>Hieracium piloselloides</i> Species of flowering plant

Hieracium piloselloides is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name tall hawkweed. It is native to Europe and it is present in North America as an introduced species and a common weed.

<i>Pilosella floribunda</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Pilosella floribunda is a species of noxious and herbaceous perennial plant from family Asteraceae that is known in Europe and can also be found in United States and Canada. It was believed that it was a hybrid of Pilosella caespitosa (Hieracium caespitosum and Pilosella lactucella.

<i>Pilosella lactucella</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Pilosella lactucella is a species of perennial plant from the family Asteraceae, found in Europe, New York and Nova Scotia (Canada). It is 9–20 centimetres (3.5–7.9 in) in height, with stems from 1–2 millimetres (0.039–0.079 in) wide. The leaves are spatula shaped and 5–8 centimetres (2.0–3.1 in) wide. The flowers bloom from May to July, the heads of which are 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97 in) tall. It was once described by Carl Linnaeus as Hieracium auricula and Pilosella auricula, but was recategorized by A. E. Roland and M. Zinck in 1998.

<i>Hieracium villosum</i> Species of flowering plant

Hieracium villosum, the shaggy hawkweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.

Hieracium bolanderi or Bolander's hawkweed is a North American plant species in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It is found primarily in the mountains of western Oregon and northern California in the United States, although there are reports of the species farther south in the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California and also in Baja California in Mexico.

<i>Pilosella flagellaris</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Pilosella flagellaris is a European plant species in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe but naturalized in scattered locations in the United States and Canada.

<i>Hieracium gronovii</i> Species of flowering plant

Hieracium gronovii, commonly known as queendevil, hairy hawkweed, beaked hawkweed, and Gronovius' hawkweed, is a North American plant species in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It is common and widespread across much of the continent from Ontario south as far as Florida, the Dominican Republic, and Panamá. The plant can be found in rocky, dry, open woods and in fields.

Hieracium longiberbe, known by the common name longbeard hawkweed, is a rare North American plant species in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae It has been found only in the Columbia River Gorge along the border between the states of Washington and Oregon in the northwestern United States.

<i>Hieracium paniculatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Hieracium paniculatum, the Allegheny hawkweed, is a North American plant species in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It grows only in the eastern United States and eastern Canada, from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, Michigan, and Indiana south as far as Georgia.

Scythris siccella is a moth of the family Scythrididae first described by the German entomologist Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1839, found in Europe.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Pilosella officinarumVaill.". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Hieracium pilosella". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  3. Van Der Kooi, C. J.; Pen, I.; Staal, M.; Stavenga, D. G.; Elzenga, J. T. M. (2015). "Competition for pollinators and intra-communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers". Plant Biology. 18 (1): 56–62. doi:10.1111/plb.12328. PMID   25754608.
  4. 1 2 Carol Piening (1988-08-29). "Element Stewardship Abstract for Hieracium Pilosella". The Global Invasive Species Initiative. Archived from the original on 2006-09-18. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  5. Science News, vol. 171, p. 302
  6. Domínguez, Erwin; Bahamonde, Nelson; Muñoz-Escobar, Christian. "Efectos de la extracción de turba sobre la composición y estructura de una turbera de Sphagnum explotada y abandonada hace 20 años, Chile" [Effects of peat extraction on the structure and composition of Sphagnum peatland exploited and abandones for 20 years, Chile]. Anales del Instituto de la Patagonia (in Spanish). 40 (2): 37–45.
  7. Rose, Francis (2006). The Wild Flower Key. Frederick Warne & Co. pp. 480–481. ISBN   978-0-7232-5175-0.
  8. Hieracium pilosella in the online Flore Laurentienne
  9. Bishop, G. F.; A. J. Davy (1994). "Hieracium pilosella L. (Pilosella officinarum F. Schultz & Schultz-Bip.)". Journal of Ecology . 82 (1): 195–210. doi:10.2307/2261400. JSTOR   2261400.
  10. Gawrońska-Grzywacz, Monika; Krzaczek, Tadeusz (2007-03-01). "Identification and determination of triterpenoids in Hieracium pilosella L." Journal of Separation Science. 30 (5): 746–750. doi:10.1002/jssc.200600253. PMID   17461116.
  11. Willer, Johanna; Zidorn, Christian; Juan-Vicedo, Jorge (2021-12-05). "Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and bioactivities of Hieracium L. and Pilosella Hill (Cichorieae, Asteraceae) species". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 281: 114465. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2021.114465. hdl: 20.500.12466/3283 . ISSN   0378-8741. PMID   34358652.
  12. "Hieracium Sp. - Hawkweed". eflora.neocities.org. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  13. Berger (2019-12-20). "Habichtskraut - ein wildwachsender Cannabis-Ersatz". Lucys Rausch (in German). Retrieved 2023-01-16.