Mouse-ear Hawkweed

Did you know

• The common name comes from the soft, mouse-ear-shaped leaves covered in fine, white hairs that give them a distinctive silvery appearance.
• Hawkweeds were named from the ancient belief, recorded by Pliny, that hawks ate the plants to sharpen their eyesight — a myth that persisted for over a thousand years.
• Like its relative fox-and-cubs, mouse-ear hawkweed reproduces largely by apomixis (seeds without fertilization) and stolons, resulting in enormous genetic uniformity.
• The plant exudes allelopathic chemicals from its roots that inhibit the germination of competing plants, allowing it to dominate dry grassland patches.
• It was introduced to New Zealand and North America, where it has spread into pastures and roadsides, becoming a problematic weed in some regions.

Color meanings

Uses

• traditional medicine (eye remedy, historically)
• ground cover