Hypochaeris radicata

Cat's Ear, Flatweed at Justice Robert Hope Reserve (JRH)

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Identification history

	Hypochaeris radicata	17 Dec 2023	natureguy
	Hypochaeris glabra	16 Dec 2023	abread111

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User's notes

A type of flatweed with only one row of ray florets. Occurs in mixed community with the other flatweed Hypochaeris radicata with multiple rows of ray florets.

4 comments

natureguy wrote:

17 Dec 2023

Pretty confident this is still radicata, leaves are hairy, I dont think the ray florets are a distinctive feature, they can be quite variable from what I've seen

abread111 wrote:

17 Dec 2023

Ok, but look at the VicFlora key, which does not use the leaf hairiness to separate them or the numbers of rows of "petals", but the size of the ligules (petals) compared to the involucral bracts (and some other characters which cannot be seen in these photos). I'll make sure to take good back of the flower photos in the future. And when the time is right look for seeds.

natureguy wrote:

17 Dec 2023

Sounds good, but if we were to use the info from the VicFlora key, the ligules are longer than the involucral bracts here I'd say based on the side shots. Also have a look at the well established base: H. radicata is a perennial so develops quite a substantial rosette and root system unlike the weaker annual H. glabra.

abread111 wrote:

18 Dec 2023

Yep, I was not sure about the side photo in this case.

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