Orange hawkweed_Sunlight Condos_MA_2012_07_24 (11)

This European perennial invades pastures and lawns, displacing native plants and forming monocultures. The vibrant orange-red flowers are clustered at the top of the leafless stem and bloom in late spring to mid-summer. Orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum) grows about 12' tall and produces dandelion-like fuzzy seedheads. The plant spreads through stolons (stems or runners that grow along the ground). All parts of the plant produce a milky juice. The best way to remove this weed is to dig it out by hand, making sure to get all pieces of the roots.

Some native plant alternatives are:

  1. Oregon sunshine
  2. Douglas aster
  3. Orange sneezeweed
  4. California poppy
  5. Arrowleaf balsamroot

(Top photo by Gail Hampshire)

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