Picris hieracioides - Hawkweed Oxtongue

This is infrequent in vc77, but is common in the south-east of England.

This plant is tall, robust and much branched and favours rough grassland and waste ground.

Like Helminthotheca echioides but bristles are not broad-based, leaves are much more wavy-edged and the inner and outer phyllaries are thin lanceolate and the outer may be recurved. Achenes reddish-brown and not flattened.

There are several subspecies which can be identified by the type of hair on the capitulum (bracts behind the flower) and the relative length of the flower stalks. The ones found in Lanarkshire so far, are the subspecies hieracoides.

A similar plant, also from Southern England is also becoming more common, Bristly Oxtongue, Helminthotheca echioides.