Common Cat's-ear
Hypochaeris radicata
Description 7
Perennial herb with flowering stems growing from a basal rosette of oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic leaves, margins deeply pinnately lobed, more or less densely hairy above. Flower heads solitary with 3 to 4 whorls of involucral bracts, bright yellow.
Etymology and differences from dandelions 8
Its name is derived from Greekὑπό (under) and χοῖρος (young pig). Thus the name should be spelled Hypochoeris.
The adjective radicata means with conspicuous roots in Latin (derived from radix, root).
In English, Catsear is derived from the words cat's ear, and refers to the shape and fine hair on the leaves resembling that of the ear of a cat.
The plant is also known as "false dandelion," as it is commonly mistaken for true dandelions. Both plants carry similar flowers which form windborne seeds. However, catsear flowering stems are forked and solid, whereas dandelions possess unforked stems that are hollow. Both plants have a rosette of leaves and a central taproot. The leaves of dandelions are jagged in appearance, whereas those of catsear are more lobe-shaped and hairy. Both plants have similar uses.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Jon Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/16921893@N00/2798846989
- (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/52833.jpg
- (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/52834.jpg
- Michael Kesl, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/87935.jpg
- (c) Richard Spellenberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/imgs/512x768/0000_0000/0115/3239.jpeg
- (c) Richard Spellenberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/imgs/512x768/0000_0000/0115/3241.jpeg
- (c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/30290917
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypochaeris_radicata
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- African Plants - a photo guide
- Atlas of Living Australia
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- Calflora
- CalPhotos
- Catalogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia
- eFloras.org
- Flora Digital de Portugal
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- Go Botany
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- Jepson eFlora
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- NBN Atlas
- New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
- OregonFlora.org
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- VASCAN by Canadensys
- World Flora Online
- 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
- 植物和名−学名インデックス YList
Range Map
iNat Map
| Flower color | yellow |
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