Southern hawkweed facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Southern hawkweed
Scientific classification
Genus:	Hieracium
Species:	argutum

Hieracium argutum is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the aster family, which includes sunflowers and daisies. People often call it the southern hawkweed.

This plant grows only in California, which means it is endemic there. You can find it in hills and mountains near the coast and further inland. It often grows in places with oak trees or pine forests.

What Does Southern Hawkweed Look Like?

Southern hawkweed is a plant that lives for many years. It has a stem that usually stands straight up. The bottom part of the stem is very hairy. As you go up the stem, it becomes smoother with fewer hairs. This plant can grow to be about 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) to one meter (about 3 feet) tall.

Leaves and Flowers

The leaves of the southern hawkweed have deep, jagged edges, almost like teeth. They are also covered in long hairs. The biggest leaves are found at the bottom of the plant and can be up to 16 centimeters (about 6 inches) long. There might be some shorter leaves on the lower part of the stem, but very few or none at all on the top part.

The plant produces many flower heads that grow in a wide, open cluster. Each flower head is about one centimeter wide. The outside of each flower head has hairy, sometimes sticky, leaf-like parts called phyllaries. Inside, you will find many bright yellow ray florets. These are the petal-like parts that make the flower look like a small sun. This plant does not have disc florets, which are the tiny flowers usually found in the center of a daisy-like flower.

Seeds and Fruit

After the flowers bloom, the plant produces small, dark, cylinder-shaped fruits. These fruits are called achenes. Each achene has a fluffy top made of brown bristles. This fluffy part is called a pappus. It helps the seeds float away in the wind, spreading them to new places.