Orange hawkweed

Description: A fibrous rooted perennial herb in the Aster family (Asteraceae) that grows 10-36 inches tall and branching at the top to produce flower heads. Erect stems usually do not have stem leaves, contain a milky juice and are covered with stiff hairs. The simple leaves are basal with 1 or 2 leaves measuring about 4 1/2 inches in length. Both leaves and stems are covered with hairs. Conspicuous orange-red ray flowers, bloom June –September with 5 to 35 flower heads. Each flower produces 12-30 tiny seed that are dark brown or black, cylindrical, elongated, longitudinally ridged, barbed and bristled. Seeds can be dispersed by wind, water, or “hitch-hiking”, and are often moved in contaminated soil associated with transplanting new plants into gardens and flowerbeds. Seeds remain viable in soil for up to 7 years. The roots are shallow and fibrous with aboveground stolons (that resemble strawberry runners) and below ground rhizomes that allow for aggressive vegetative reproduction. Stolons originate from buds in the rosette when plants flower. These runners radiate out from the original plant and form new rosettes where they touch down and take root.