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Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Hieracium umbellatum — narrow-leaved hawkweed

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New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Facts

Narrow-leaved hawkweed is a circumboreal species, widely distributed but very rare in New England, being represented by one or a few populations in New Hampshire and possibly Vermont.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges

Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
Leaf type
leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
Leaf arrangement
  • alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
  • basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
Leaf blade edges
  • the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
  • the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
Flower type in flower heads
the flower head has ray flowers only, meaning all of the individual flowers of the flower head have a strap-shaped ray, which may or may not have teeth at the very tip of the ray
Ray flower color
yellow
Tuft or plume on fruit
at least a part of the plume is made up of fine bristles
Spines on plant
the plant has no spines
Leaf blade length
20–150 mm
Disk flower number
0
Show all characteristics

  • Flowers

    Bract cycle number
    there are two main cycles of bracts
    Bract outer side hair type
    • the bracts are hairy on their outer surfaces, with hairs having glands (a swelling at the tip of the hair)
    • the bracts are not hairy on their outer surface
    Bract outer side hairs
    • the bracts are hairy on their outer surfaces
    • the bracts are not hairy on their outer surfaces
    Bract tip shape
    • the tips of the bracts acute (have a sharp point)
    • the tips of the bracts are rounded
    Disk flower color
    NA
    Disk flower lobe number
    NA
    Disk flower number
    0
    Disk flower proportions
    NA
    Disk flower reproductive parts
    NA
    Disk flower shape
    NA
    Flower head number
    • each flowering stem has four or more flower heads on it
    • each flowering stem has only one to three flower heads on it
    Flower head outer flowers
    at the outer edge of the flower head, each flower has a single enlarged lobe or strap
    Flower head platform
    the base has no bristles or papery scales
    Flower head profile
    the disk is flat or nearly flat across the top
    Flower type in flower heads
    the flower head has ray flowers only, meaning all of the individual flowers of the flower head have a strap-shaped ray, which may or may not have teeth at the very tip of the ray
    Height of flower head base
    8–11 mm
    Inflorescence shape
    the inflorescence is flat-topped in profile
    Ovary cross-section
    the ovary has five or more corners in cross-section
    Ovary hair type
    the ovary has no hairs on it
    Ovary hairs
    the ovary has no hairs on it
    Ovary profile
    in profile, the ovary is oblong (roughly rectangular but rounded at the ends)
    Ray flower color
    yellow
    Ray flower reproductive parts
    the ray flowers have both carpels and stamens
    Ray flowers
    • 26-50
    • more than 50
    Ray length
    10–18 mm
    Reproductive system
    NA

  • Fruits or seeds

    Ovary length in developed fruit
    2.5–3.5 mm
    Seed hair tuft color
    • the pappus hairs are tan to dark brown
    • the pappus hairs are white or off-white
    Seed hair tuft details
    the pappus hairs are hooked or barbed
    Seed hair tuft length
    6–7 mm
    Tuft or plume on fruit
    at least a part of the plume is made up of fine bristles

  • Growth form

    Growth form
    the plant has one or more free-standing stems
    Horizontal rooting stem
    there are no stolons
    Plant lifespan
    the plant is perennial, it shows evidence of previous year's leaves, stems or stem bases
    Spines on plant
    the plant has no spines
    Underground organs
    there is a thickened taproot on the plant

  • Leaves

    Hairs on underside of leaf blade
    the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
    Leaf arrangement
    • alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
    • basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
    Leaf blade base
    the leaf has a distinct petiole
    Leaf blade base shape
    • the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
    • the base of the leaf blade is rounded
    • the base of the leaf blade is truncate (ends abruptly in a more or less straight line as though cut off)
    Leaf blade edges
    • the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
    • the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
    Leaf blade hairs
    the leaf blade has simple hairs with no glands, and not tangled or wooly
    Leaf blade length
    20–150 mm
    Leaf blade shape
    • the leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
    • the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
    Leaf blade tip
    • the tip of the leaf blade is acuminate (tapers to a long, thin point)
    • the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
    Leaf disposition
    the leaves are nearly similar in size, prominence of teeth, and length of stalks throughout the stem
    Leaf spines
    there are no spines on the leaf edges
    Leaf type
    leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
    Specific leaf type
    the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets

  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • edges of forests
    • man-made or disturbed habitats

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Flowering stem cross-section
    the flowering stem is circular, or with lots of small angles
    Stem internode hairs
    the stem has hairs between the nodes

Wetland status

Not classified

New England distribution and conservation status

Distribution

Connecticut
absent
Maine
absent
Massachusetts
absent
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
absent
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

New Hampshire
extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
Vermont
unrankable (S-rank: SU)

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Hieracium kalmii:
leaf blades lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or narrow-ovate, the principal ones mostly 12–40 mm wide, mostly 2–5 times as long as wide, lacking rigid, conical hairs or these very sparse (vs. H. umbellatum, with leaf blades linear to lanceolate or narrow-oblong, the principal ones mostly 3–15 mm wide, mostly 4–12 times as long as wide, provided with abundant stout, rigid, conical hairs, at least toward the margin of the blade).
Hieracium sabaudum:
hairs of the lower stem and leaf surfaces simple, firm, and bulbous-based, short compound hairs usually absent from the leaf surfaces (vs. H. umbellatum, with hairs of the lower stem and leaf surfaces simple or compound, but not bulbous-based, that of the leaves sometimes compound).

Synonyms

  • Hieracium scabriusculum Schwein.
  • Hieracium scabriusculum Schwein. var. saximontanum Lepage

Family

Asteraceae

Genus

Hieracium

Help

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae

16.  Hieracium umbellatum L. NC

narrow-leaved hawkweed. Hieracium scabriusculum Schwein.; H. scabriusculum Schwein. var. saximontanum Lepage • NH, VT. Forests, logging trails, clearings.