Hairy Cat’s Ear (Hypochaeris radicata)

Hairy Cat’s Ear is like a Dandelion, but has forked stems, and particularly large leaves at ground level. Each yellow petal is its own flower. Together, dozens of these ray flowers form the composite flower you see here. The spherical seed balls remind me of particularly nice mandalas, and I never tire of looking at them.

January	April		July	October
	Yellow flowers
White seeds		White seeds

Field ID Tips

· Blooms April to December. Seeds stay on the plants for some time after, until the wind blows them away.

· Yellow petals have cuts at the end.

· Stems have branches (this is different from Dandelions).

· Seeds organized in a spherical puffy ball.

· Long leaves attach to the stem at the ground.

Links:

Calphotos

Wikipedia

Mountain Home to West Point Flowers

Here is the composite flower, a flower whose petals have dried up, and a seed star.

The seed is a collection of stars, held together in a spherical constellation until the wind blows them away.

<<<NEED PICTURE OF BASAL LEAVES>>>