Spotted Cat's-ear - Hypochaeris radicata
Other Names:
Hairy Cat's-ear, Cat's Ear, False Dandelion
Taprooted, scapose, perennial herbs. Stems erect, often branched, 15–60 cm. Herbage hirsute below, glabrate above; sap milky. Leaves basal, petiolate; blades oblanceolate, runcinate, 2–15 cm long. Inflorescence open-paniculate, minutely bracteate with 2 to 7 heads. Heads ligulate; involucres turbinate, 1–2 cm high; phyllaries unequal, imbricate in 3 or 4 series, linear-lanceolate, glabrate with scarious margins; receptacle flat with scales among the flowers. Ray flowers 20 to 100, perfect, yellow; ligules 6–12 mm long. Pappus 2 series of capillary bristles; outer barbed; inner plumose. Achenes fusiform 6–10 mm long, ribbed, muricate with a beak 3–5 mm long (
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).