Weed Identification >
Cats Ear
Common Name
Cats Ear, Flatweed
Scientific Name
Hypochoeris radicata
Family
Asteraceae
Lifecycle
Perennial
Seasons of Growth
All Year
Key Distinguishing Feature
Yellow daisy like flowers.
Cats Ear is a herb to 400mm wide with yellow daisy type flowers up to 30 mm diameter borne on simple or branched, leafless stalks at any time of the year with a flush in spring to early summer.
The small florets all have radiating petal-like blades. The tiny fly-away fruits are topped by a stalked ring of barbed to feathery bristles. The leaves form a flat rosette and are variable being entire to shallowly lobed, and usually somewhat bristly but can be hairless.
The flower stems often have galls. It is a perennial but often acts as an annual in drier climates.
