Hieracium maculatum

The Heracium maculatum (syn. H. insigne) is the Latin name for the Spotted Hawkweed, a small perennial plant in the dandelion family that grows spontaneously in most of our region. It is recognised by its rosette of leaves maculated with brownish-purple on a bright green background and edged with cilia. It produces small bright yellow flowers in late spring, followed by seeds adorned with bristles, like dandelions. Unlike other hawkweeds, this one does not colonize the soil through stolons. But it can self-seed spontaneously in the garden.

The Spotted Hawkweed belongs to the large family of asters, it is a cousin of the dandelion, sunflowers, and centaureas. It is a herbaceous perennial plant with a taproot. This species, native to Western Europe and Spain, is present in France. It spontaneously develops in slightly acidic soils, rather poor, in full sun. Therefore, it is a hardy plant, water-efficient, capable of adapting to various climates. The Heracium maculatum forms large rosettes, gathering entire leaves, lanceolate, almost glabrous on the upper side, more downy underneath, bordered by long silky and silvery hairs. The lamina is randomly maculated with purple-brown on the upper side.  Flowering occurs from May-June to August depending on the climate. From the center of the rosettes emerge thin and ramified floral stems of 30-35 cm (12-14in), more or less purplish in color. Each stem carries an inflorescence in bright yellow head, 3 cm (1in) in diameter. After pollination, these heads will give way to seeds equipped with silky, greyish bristles, which the wind will disperse. The foliage remains evergreen in winter.

The Heracium maculatum, requiring very little maintenance, is a genuine plant for lean and well-drained soils. Highly hardy and water-efficient, it gives a natural look to the garden. This plant allows you to avoid the watering needed for a lawn in somewhat inaccessible and therefore very rarely trampled areas. It can be associated with other wild plants such as chicory, centaureas, and scabious or poppies for example. It also provides an ornamental solution to dress up a rocky and somewhat arid slope where nothing grows.