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Herbaceous Perennial

Pilosella officinarum

mouse-ear hawkweed

A mat-forming perennial to about 20cm tall, with creeping stolons and a basal rosette of leaves greyish green and hairy above with downy, white felted undersides. Solitary yellow flowerheads, borne on leafless stems, are 2-3cm across with ray florets marked with a red stripe on the underside, produced in summer

Other common names

blood of St John
fellon herb
see morefelon herb
mouse ear

Synonyms

Hieracium pilosella var. nigrescens
Hieracium pilosella subsp. trichosoma
see moreHieracium pilosella
Hieracium velutinum

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

1–2 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Asteraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: Yes
Foliage: Semi evergreen
Habit: Matforming
Genus: A genus of herbaceous perennials spreading by rhizomes or stolons, with hariy leaves in basal rosettes, and sometimes as smaller stem leaves. The stems are topped with dandelion-like flowers, in shades of mainly yellow, sometimes orange or more rarely red or white
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Naturally occurs on free-draining, short grassland

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by division

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Wildflower meadow
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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