Hypochoeris maculata

Spotted Hawkweed

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Taxonomy and growth

Family: Compositae
Genus: Hypochoeris
Life cycle: perennial
Height: 0.6 m
Fertility: Bees, Flies
Flower type: hermaphrodite
Pollinators: Bees, Flies

Uses

Edible uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked^[3]^[4]^[5]. They are occasionally added to salads or boiled in broths^[2].

Plant part: Leaves

Environment

Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to the Pyrenees, N. Italy and Balkans.
Habitat: Calcareous pastures and grassy cliffs^[1]. A rare and decreasing plant in Britain^[1].
Light: full sun
Shade tolerance: no shade
Water: moderate
Soil textures: sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH: acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage: well drained
Tolerances: high wind
Wind: Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil: No
Drought: intolerant

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown outdoors in situ in the spring.

Cultivation

Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position, growing well on chalky soils.

References

Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00
↩1 ↩2
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
↩
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
↩
Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00
↩
Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202
↩

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