Hieracium Species, Gronovius' Hawkweed, Queendevil

The nectar or pollen of the flowers probably attracts many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, bee flies, ...Read Moreand beetles. The seedheads are eaten by the Wild Turkey, while the foliage is eaten by mammalian herbivores, including deer and rabbits.

Another common name for this species is Hairy Hawkweed, although this name is also used for Hieracium longipilum. The Hieracium spp. are another group of plants that can be tricky to identify. They fall into two broad groups: short stoloniferous plants that consist of leafy rosettes, and taller plants with a flowering stalk that is more or less leafy. The former group is dominated by introduced species from Europe, while the latter group consists of native species. Gronovius' Hawkweed is similar in appearance to Hieracium longipilum (Hairy Hawkweed) and Hieracium scabrum (Rough Hawkweed). It differs from the former by having fewer and shorter hairs of ½" or less, and differs from the latter by the absence of leaves on the upper flowering stalk that are any larger than tiny bracts. Gronovius' Hawkweed has spindle-shaped achenes (tapering on both ends), while Rough Hawkweed has bullet-shaped achenes that taper only at the bottom. Other native Hieracium spp. have hairless foliage and stalks, conspicuous teeth along the margins of the leaves, or flowers that are 1" across or more.