Meadow hawkweed

Pilosella caespitosa (synonym Hieracium caespitosum, commonly known as meadow hawkweed, yellow hawkweed,field hawkweed, king devil, yellow paintbrush, devil's paintbrush, yellow devil, yellow fox-and-cubs, and yellow king-devil)is like several other Pilosella species and has a similar appearance to many of the hawkweeds. Pilosella caespitosa is a creeping perennial,with shallow, fibrous rootsand long rhizomes. The leaves, hairy on both sides (unlike Pilosella floribunda, which looks similar but has hair only on the underside), are up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) long, spathulate, and almost exclusively basal with the exception of 1 or 2 very small cauline leaves. The leaves lie flat to the ground, overlap, and will smother non-vigorous turf. The stems are bristly and usually leafless, although occasionally a small leaf appears near the midpoint.Stems, leaves, and bracts have dense, blackish hairsand exude milky juice when broken. The 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) flower heads appear in tight clusters at the topof the 1 to 3 foot (1/3 to 1 meter) stems with 5 to 40 flowers per cluster.Corollas are all ligulate and bright yellow.Each single flower head is an inflorescence and each petal forms its own seed, making them each a separate flower orfloret. The seeds are shiny, black, and plumed.After maturing they are dispersed by wind, clothing, hair, feathers, and some vehicles that disturb fields or soils. P. caespitosa persists and regrows each year from rhizomes and often spreads by stolons,which can be extensive, creating a dense mat of hawkweed plants (a colony) that practically eliminates other vegetation. P. caespitosa prefers silt loam, well-drained soil: coarse textures, moderately low in organic matter, and moist. Its presence can be an indicator of low soil fertility or slightly acidic soils. P. caespitosa has, in the past, been used for healing eyesight. Pliny the Elder had recorded information regarding how other species, specifically hawks, utilized P. caespitosa, specifically believing that they would eat it in an effort to improve eyesight.