Subject: Need wildflower ID help

From: [email-masked] (wojcik)
Date: 18 Jul 1995 16:28:36 GMT

I'm hoping there's a wildflower expert out there who can help me ID
a plant I found in northern Michigan. I was driving through a state forest
in the upper peninsula and noticed these flower all along the south side of
the road. I finally pulled over and took a close look. These flowers were
all over the place, and I noticed they had a very nice color and fragrance.
I found some seeds and gently lifted two plants (there were literally millions
of them) and they are doing nicely in my backyard.
	Here's my best description of them in the hope they can be ID'd:

	Leaves: Very downy, about 4-5 inches long, 1/2 inch wide; leaves
		form a rosette
	Flowers: Smallish, 1/4 inch across; reddish-brown in color; sort of
		look like a smaller, copper-colored version of a dandelion;
		Very nice fragrance ... similar to heliotrope to my nose:
		flowers are on a long stalk, about 5-6 inches tall
	Seeds: Like a small version of dandelion seeds; each has a parachute.
	Roots: Fibrous, about 4-5 inches long

Hope someone can ID this one. It's very nice and I hope the plants/seeds
make it in my garden.

Any idea on why it only grew on the south side of the road? It likes strong
light?

 Thanks in advance.

- Al Wojcik
  Allen Park, Mich.

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From: Scott Ranger <[email-masked]>
Date: 19 Jul 1995 12:25:51 GMT

What you are describing sound very much like one of the hawkweeds in the 
huge genus Hieracium.  Gray's manual lists 19 species for its territory 
and is the source of one of my favorite stories from a technical flora:

"The genus, espeically in Europe, broken by technical specialists, with 
eyesight stimulated beyond that of the ancient hawks, into thousands of 
so-called species, subspecies, varieteis and forms, largely on degree and 
character of pubsescence.  These apomicts will be found unlucidly 
elaborated beyond practical utility in the 1700 pages of Zahn (in Engler, 
Das Pflanzenriche iv). who in our no. 1 alone recognizes but does not 
define 624 "subspecies."  Until a rational presentation of European 
speiceis is available the identification of our adventives from Europe 
must be tentative."  Gray's Manual, 8th ed. p. 1562.

If you've got a field guide, look for hawkweeds or the genus Hieracium.  
Take a careful look at orange hawkweed (Devil's paintbrush)- H. 
auranticum.  I fear that is what you've found.  Many consider this 
European species to be a troublesome weed that can take over fields and 
patures.  But it has a pretty flower!

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From: [email-masked] (SEACOLEMAN)
Date: 19 Jul 1995 01:34:34 -0400

I'm not familiar with the native flora of your part of the country, but
have had good luck with various books detailing the flora of the Pacific
Northwest - all readily available at the larger bookstores .  What you are
describing sounds like a member of the Asteraceae, an often difficult
family to key out (at least for amateurs like me.)  Good luck!    john

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From: [email-masked] (Timothy J Keenan)
Date: 19 Jul 1995 14:08:29 GMT

: 	Leaves: Very downy, about 4-5 inches long, 1/2 inch wide; leaves
: 		form a rosette
: 	Flowers: Smallish, 1/4 inch across; reddish-brown in color; sort of
: 		look like a smaller, copper-colored version of a dandelion;
: 		Very nice fragrance ... similar to heliotrope to my nose:
: 		flowers are on a long stalk, about 5-6 inches tall
: 	Seeds: Like a small version of dandelion seeds; each has a parachute.
: 	Roots: Fibrous, about 4-5 inches long

Sounds like a hawkweed (_Hieracium_ sp.)

--
Tim Keenan

Cliff Ecology Research Group
Botany Department
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario

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From: [email-masked] (wojcik)
Date: 20 Jul 1995 14:58:24 GMT

Timothy J Keenan ([email-masked]) wrote:

: Sounds like a hawkweed (_Hieracium_ sp.)

	Thanks to everyone who responded! Looks like I managed to drive
350 miles to collect Hieracium aurantiacum, a.k.a. Orange Hawkweed or
Devil's Paintbrush. Oh well, it WAS pretty!

- Al Wojcik

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From: Jeremy Packer <[email-masked]>
Date: 21 Jul 1995 08:53:25 GMT

> Devil's Paintbrush. Oh well, it WAS pretty!
Don't feel too bad about finding it pretty. Go into any uk garden 
centre and you'll find plants and seeds for sale. It's certainly 
pretty enough not to pull up when it self-seeds into your garden.
It has another lovely common name: Fox and Cubs.

Jeremy

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 28 Jul 95 19:45:45 -0400

Hi 
	Not sure but you may want to check out HIERACIUM aurantiacum (orange
hawkweed, devil's paintbrush). THis is an introduced species from Europe. It is
found from Nfld. to B.C. (Canada) through to Va. and Iowa. It is a very
persistant plant once established. They like leached, well drained soils.
Particularlly fond of pastures and old fields.
	Be aware, they are considered a WEED here!	
	Hope this is of some help, let me know what it is!!!
		Good luck,
			Karen McKenzie

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From: [email-masked] (Gaelhawk)
Date: 27 Jul 1995 14:30:14 -0400

You wrote that you had seen an orange-brown flower something like a
dandelion.  I was just in the Upper Peninsula and I noticed a lot of
Orange Hawkweed growing by the side of the road.  Perhaps this is what you
saw