Pilosella officinarum: Country Or Region Of Origin
Europe and northern Asia
Plant Profile: Pilosella officinarum
Names
Mouse-ear Hawkweed
Phonetic Spelling:py-loh-SEL-ah oh-fiss-in-AY-rum
Genus:Pilosella
Species:officinarum
Family:Asteraceae
This plant closely resembles a dandelion, but features lighter yellow blooms. Its leaves, which are hairy and reminiscent of a mouse's ears, grow low to the ground. It propagates through above-ground runners, known as stolons, and frequently forms extensive colonies.
It thrives in well-drained to dry soil and is resilient to both heat and humidity.
Pilosella officinarum Feature Summary
Pilosella officinarum Image Gallery
Tags
#invasive
#perennial
#mat
#native garden
#groundcover
#wildflower garden
Similar Plants
Pilosella officinarum is often confused with:
Pilosella officinarum Feature Summary
Attributes
Europe and northern Asia
Bees feast on the nectar, while other insects lay their eggs on the leaves and stems. Eaten by rabbits.
Perennial
Flowers
1" single yellow dandelion-like flower, sometimes two or three flowers. Bracts covered with stiff, long hairs and glands. Stalk is 8".
Gold/Yellow
Summer
Fall
1-3 inches
Leaves
Felty silver-grey foliage forms a low rosette with leafy stolons. No stem leaves. Basal leaves are 1-5 in. and oblong, white woolly below.
Green
Gray/Silver
White
Simple
Rosulate
Oblong
3-6 inches
Velvety
Stem
No leaves on stems
Whole Plant Traits
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Good Drainage
Occasionally Dry
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
9a
9b
Sand
Fruit
Achene
Landscape
Woodland
Weedy
Invasive Species
Allelopathic
Pilosella officinarum Image Gallery
Pilosella officinarum Attributes
Pilosella officinarum: Wildlife Value
Bees feast on the nectar, while other insects lay their eggs on the leaves and stems. Eaten by rabbits.
Pilosella officinarum: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Pilosella officinarum Flowers
Pilosella officinarum: Flower Description
1" single yellow dandelion-like flower, sometimes two or three flowers. Bracts covered with stiff, long hairs and glands. Stalk is 8".
Pilosella officinarum: Flower Color
Gold/Yellow
Pilosella officinarum: Flower Bloom Time
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Pilosella officinarum: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Pilosella officinarum Leaves
Pilosella officinarum: Leaf Description
Felty silver-grey foliage forms a low rosette with leafy stolons. No stem leaves. Basal leaves are 1-5 in. and oblong, white woolly below.
Pilosella officinarum: Leaf Color
Gray/Silver
Green
White
Pilosella officinarum: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Pilosella officinarum: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Pilosella officinarum: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Pilosella officinarum: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Pilosella officinarum: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Pilosella officinarum: Leaf Feel
Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy
Pilosella officinarum Stem
Pilosella officinarum: Stem Description
No leaves on stems
Pilosella officinarum: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Pilosella officinarum Whole Plant Traits
Pilosella officinarum: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Pilosella officinarum: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Pilosella officinarum: Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Rapid
Pilosella officinarum Cultural Conditions
Pilosella officinarum: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Pilosella officinarum: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Pilosella officinarum: NC Region
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Pilosella officinarum: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Pilosella officinarum: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Pilosella officinarum Fruit
Pilosella officinarum: Fruit Type
Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua
Pilosella officinarum Landscape
Pilosella officinarum: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
Pilosella officinarum: Problems
Allelopathic
Contact Dermatitis
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Invasive Species
Malodorous
Messy
Poisonous to Humans
Problem for Cats
Problem for Children
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Short-lived
Spines/Thorns
Weak Wood
Weedy
