Hieracium murorum
Common name
hawkweed
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
HIEMUR
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial. Exotic forest, streamside cliffs, roadsides (Webb et al 1988).
Detailed description
Perennial herb with rosette leaves 20-50 cm tall. The rosette leaves are truncate based, toothed, especially at the base 4-12 by 2-5 cm. Stem leaves 1-(2) similar to basal but shorter and more coarsely toothed. Yellow flowers in clusters of 5-15 on flowering stalks.
Similar taxa
H. murorum is similar to H. lepidulum and H. pollichiae, but can be distinguished by the spreading to recurved basal leaf teeth, the solitary stem leaf, the absence of stellate hairs on the leaves, the curved peduncles in subdichotomous cymose inflorescences and the absence of simple eglandular hairs on peduncles and unvolucral bracts. It can be distinguished from Pilosella argillaceum group, which also has densely glandular unvolucral bracts, by its truncate leaf bases, solitary stem leaf, and absence of stellate leaf hairs.
Flowering
January, February, March
Flower colours
Yellow
Fruiting
January - March
Life cycle
Perennial.
Year naturalised
1940
Origin
Europe
Reason for introduction
Accidental.
Etymology
hieracium: From the Greek hierax ‘hawk’. Pliny the Elder (AD 23 - AD 79) believed the plant to be eaten by hawks to improve their eyesight.
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.