Smooth Catsear
Hypochaeris glabra
Asteraceae
It is reported to have medicinal properties. It is also reported to be edible in some situations.
Smooth catsear is a common weed of gardens, lawns, roadsides, footpaths, parks, pastures, waste areas and disturbed sites. It is an annual or perennial herb, ranging in height from 0.08 to 0.5 m high. Similar to other plants commonly called dandelion, it forms a rosette. Leaves are smooth with toothed or lobed margins. Flower are yellow and appear on branched stems. It grows in a range of situations, but prefers sandy to loam soils, and is drought tolerant.
Flowers are pollinated by bees and flies. It is reported to be a host for a number of Puccinia species (rust): P. chondrillae, P. hieracii, P. hypochoeridis, P. inquinans, P. prenanthis, P. troximontis (Discover Life). Viruses include Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) and white clover mosaic virus (WCMV). An aphid, Brachycaudus helichrysi (leaf curl plum aphid), is known to feed on smooth catsear. This aphid has a world-wide distribution in temperate regions, with plums and other Prunus species its primary hosts. The larva of the cynipid wasp Phanacis hypochoeridis is known to cause galls on stems in both H. glabra and P. radicata. A much broader range of associations are recorded for P. radicata. It is not known if these associations are also present in Smooth catsear. Please record your