Smooth Cat's Ear
Hypochaeris glabra
Small introduced daisy 10-40 cm tall (very small on poor sites) with a smooth stem and a small taproot. Green oval leaves, 2-15 cm long and 0.5-3 cm wide, forming a small rosette at the base. Soft yellow daisy made up of lots of overlapping notched yellow ray petals, sometimes purplish on outer edges.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Flora Type | Herbs |
| Former Scientific Name | Hypochoeris glabra |
| Distinctive Features | All leaves at ground level, forming a rosette. |
| Biology | Annual weed. Found in lawns, gardens, roadsides and pastures, but also in native grasslands and woodlands. Possibly the taproot was harvested as a food source by Aboriginal people post-European contact. |
| Native Status | Introduced |
| Flowering Time | Jan-Dec |
| Taxonomy | |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants) |
| Class | Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants) |
| Order | Asterales |
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Genus | Hypochaeris |
| Species | radicata |
From the Latin hypo = under, choiros = pig, possibly referring to the underground tubers being eaten by pigs. Seeds are dispersed via the wind and animals. Stems of this, and related daisies, exude a white sap when broken.
| Interesting Facts | |
|---|---|
| Similar Species | The leaves have strongly toothed or lobed margins distinguishing this species from the native Plains Yam Daisy Microseris scapigera, which has only a few, small teeth or lobes. |
| Native Status | Introduced |