Meadow Hawkweed

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Meadow hawkweed flower and plant.

(Hieracium pratense)

Also known as yellow hawkweed, it looks like a hairy dandelion with a cluster of flowers. Other traits:

• Yellow flowers look similar to a dandelion flower, but slightly smaller and in clusters.
• Perennial which spreads by root, stolon, and seed.
• The single stalk and leaves are hairy.
• Grows 1 to 5 feet tall.
• Originally from Europe, it has been found throughout the region.

Control methods:
Herbicides: Treat with picloram + 2,4-D; clopyralid + 2,4-D, or dicamba + 2,4-D before bloom. Pasturelands must be healthy to recover from infestations and treatments, so fertilization is important.
Non-chemical: Hawkweeds are unpalatable, although sheep or goats may eat the plant. Annual cultivation will control these weeds. No biological agents are available for the hawkweeds.

For more information about this plant and its control measures visit the Inland Empire Cooperative Weed Management Area web site.

 

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